Unexpected
by HippoCritical1
Summary: The first time Claire laid her eyes on him she fell in love.But then he broke her heart. Now Claire is back for only one thing-Revenge. But nothing is ever that easy, especially with Cam Fisher.
1. Chapter 1

_Shit!_ Cursed Claire loudly looking at her alarm. She only had 15 minutes left before school started_. Late on the first day of my new high school. How effing perfect_, she thought. She yanked whatever clothes she could find while roughly brushing her blonde hair. She surveyed her reflection in the mirror trying to assess herself.

She saw a slender girl wearing dark skinny jeans, an orange sleeveless top with a cropped short grey jacket, white blonde hair, shoulder length, blue eyes and an average face. For the millionth time, she wished she could be drop-dead gorgeous. Just once. Like all the people she was constantly surrounded by.

She checked her iPhone for messages and saw that her best friend Shelley had sent her a text. _Good Luck! Kick ass out there, miss you loads. Love, S._ Claire grinned, her nervousness momentarily vanishing. Hurriedly she grabbed the keys to her BMW and practically raced out of her stately mansion.

As she maneuvered her car outside in the parking lot of Briarwood Octavian Country Day School, Claire was oblivious to the stares and whispers surrounding her. Everyone was talking about the "new girl"; particularly four people, that is Massie Block, Dylan Marvil Alicia Rivera and Kristen Scott. These four were the IT girls of BOCD and they were currently surreptitiously trying to check her out. "Ehmagawd is that the new Ralph Lauren she's wearing?" gasped Alicia, looking at Claire's grey jacket. "That's it, I have got to get to know this chick".

Dylan rolled her eyes at Alicia," She does look pretty though, and sophisticated too. Eh Massie?"

"Hmm yeah, she is kinda pretty and obviously rich too, plus she has GREAT sense of style, I mean have you seen that Marc Jacobs bag she's toting around? Let's go, come on, we're talking to her. "

As Claire got out of her car, she could see four girls, four extremely beautiful girls walking purposefully towards her. Uh-oh, what have I done now? I'm barely two seconds old in this school! She thought nervously. The pretty brunette in the center, who obviously seemed their leader, stepped forward.

"Hi, I'm Massie, Massie block. You're new right? Welcome to BOCD."

Claire sighed in relief. "Yeah, I'm Claire Lyons. I just moved here from Orlando last week."

"OK great, now that we all know each other, let's get down to business. Where did you get that yummy Ralph Lauren jacket from?I know every single piece of clothing the man has ever made and I have never seen this!" squealed Alicia.

"Oh, it's a preview from his upcoming collection. My mom saw it at his show in Paris, so she decided to pre-order it," replied Claire shyly.

"Ehmagawd is your mom like a celeb or something? That show was like invitation only", asked Dylan curiously.

"Uh, umm, she owns this modeling agency Panache-"Wait a second... Your mother is Esmeralda Lyons?

Beautiful, elegant, extremely chic and the CEO of panache?" interrupted Alicia slowly saying each word her eyes growing wider by the second. Claire blushed and quickly nodded. This was exactly the kind of conversation she wanted to avoid. People always treated her differently after they found out who she was, or rather who her MOTHER was. She sighed resignedly ready for another round of questioning.

Massie noticed this and grabbed Claire's hand reassuringly and said," Chill, were like totally used to celebs. I mean Dylan's mother is Merri-Lee Marvil, ya know the talk show host? And Alicia's mom is like this HUGE supermodel. Famous huge, not fat huge", she added quickly. Kristen rolled her eyes and snickered. Claire giggled too, already liking them.

"Come on, let's go in. Well show you the rest of this concentration camp", said Massie, grabbing her arm.

x-x-x-

While the girls had been talking, the entire conversation was being very very closely observed by four guys: Derrick Harrington, Josh Hotz, Chris Plovert and Kemp Hurley. The fifth one Cameron Fisher was busy scoping girls and trying to remember whether he had slept with them before or not. While the other guys were checking out their girlfriends, Cam was busy checking out the rest of the female population of BOCD. "Dude, that new girl is really hot", he heard Kemp say. "What? Where?" he dragged his eyes away from Alicia, Josh's girlfriend. But she was so freakin hot that Cam was already fantasizing about all the things he'd do to her. He looked where Kemp had pointed. _Hmm, not bad_. _She was kinda hot in a schoolgirl way_."Oh great, fresh meat for Cam to bang," groaned Derrick while the others snickered. Cam's reputation as a bad-boy was known to everyone. He never dated. And his interest in girls was purely physical. Everyone knew that, but Cam was so hot that the girls never minded anyway. "Why? Sounds like you're not getting any with Massie", he retorted.

"Dude trust me, that's never gonna be a problem, "replied Derrick and winked.

"I bet she wouldn't fall for you. She seems kinda goody-goody", said Josh.

"What do you wanna bet?" asked Cam, smirking slightly.

"I'll get you box seats for every Yankees game this season."

Josh's dad was part owner of the Yankees, so getting tickets was a piece of cake. "Oh dude, it is sooo on!" replied cam. He smirked. Getting girls was never a problem. Not for Cameron Fisher. He would score with Claire whatever- her- name- was.

x-x-x

"Ugh, I'm so dying for a frappacino!" whined Dylan, as they walked down the long corridors.

"Don't worry, she gets all whiny when she doesn't get her daily dose of caffeine", whispered Alicia to Claire.

"Hey! I heard that", snapped Dylan." But yeah, I do".

"Why were you so late anyways today morning?" asked Kristen fiddling with her hair.

"Umm, me and Chris kinda stayed up late", answered Dylan trying to fight a blush as she looked away.

"Oh god, forget that I asked", Kristen groaned while rolling her eyes as they rest of them laughed.

Just then, all the guys entered. Dylan's face brightened."Hey! I was just thinking about you", she murmured as a tall guy with dirty blonde hair hugged her. "Were you? Well then I guess it's a good thing I came", he said planting a kiss on her forehead. Dylan blushed.

Suddenly Claire felt awkward staring at them so she turned around to talk to Massie, only to find her nuzzling some guy who looked like he just stepped out of an Abercrombie & Fitch fashion show. Alicia was smiling and talking in a low voice to a good looking guy who had his arm wrapped around her waist and was gently stroking her hand. Christ were all guys this hot around here? Thought Claire.

"Love birds" muttered Kristen. Claire smiled back. Kristen clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Ok you guys, this is Claire Lyons-"

Just then, another guy entered the group. Claire caught her breath when she saw his face. He was hot. Really hot. He had messy black hair that just fell over his eyes, which were really unusual. One blue and One green. His gaze flickered over everyone and finally landed on her and stayed there with a little half smile playing on his gorgeous lips. She felt herself reddening and quickly looked away.

"So yeah, she's from Orlando and she's gonna go to BOCD with us,"finished Kristen.

"Hi, I'm Chris."

"Hey, I'm Josh, Welcome to BOCD".

"Hey, derrick, Welcome".

"S'up? I'm Kemp"

The guys all finished their introductions except for Cam. He slowly walked towards her, took her hand and kissed it.

"I'm Cameron Fisher.", he said smirking slightly. Claire blushed as she heard his husky voice and her hand burned where he had kissed her. Her hand dropped limply.

"H-Hi" she stuttered. All sane thoughts seemed to have left her mind the moment she heard his beautiful voice. _What is wrong with me?_ Thought Claire.

The bell rang, shaking Claire out of her thoughts. Everyone scattered, promising to meet up for lunch. That is, everyone except for Cam. "What do you have first period"? he asked.

"Um, AP Calculus", she said checking the paper she had been given.

"Great, so do I, let's go, "he lied easily. _This is almost too easy_ he thought. He had noticed how she had blushed when he'd kissed her hand.

The AP Calc teacher, Ms. Kaufman would have no problem with Cam sitting in a class he didn't belong to. Cam already knew her from their meetings in the janitor's closet_. Josh has no idea how fast he was gonna lose the bet_.

They were the first people to enter the class. Claire walked ahead and dropped her bag on a seat in the first row.

"Nuh-uh. You're not sitting in the first row, are you?" he mocked wagging his hands.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the last bench. Clair could feel her wrist tingling where his hand was and she silently groaned. _How could she be like this after meeting a guy five minutes ago?_

"After you", gestured Cam grandly, as she got in the seat. Cam sat down next to her just as the teacher came on.

"Is there a Ms Claire Lyons here?" she asked looking at a clipboard.

"Uh yeah, that's me.", Claire replied, raising her hand.

"Welcome dear, I'm Ms. Kaufman. I hope you enjoy yourself in our school", she said, smiling warmly. Her face turned into a frown when she saw Cam sitting next to her.

"Mr. Fisher, what are you doing in my class?"

"Well, I have just developed a sudden interest in Calculus Ms. Kaufman", he replied lazily and winked at her.

She suddenly looked flustered and hastily muttered,"very well".

_Huh? What the hell?_ Wondered Claire."What are you doing here if you're not in this class?" she whispered.

"Let's just say I had my reasons for staying here", he replied gazing at her with smoldering eyes.

Claire felt her cheeks redden slightly and quickly looked away. Cam smirked to himself. _This is going better than I thought_, he thought gleefully. He peeked a sideways glance at her and saw that she looked nervous and fidgety.

_Time for some fun_. He edged closer to her until he was almost pressing into her hips. Claire's heart was beating as fast as a hummingbird. She could feel her whole body tingling. She snuck a glance at Cam but he appeared perfectly composed. He was even texting on his phone. She tried to move away but that's when she realized she was literally stuck between the wall and Cam's body.

"Uh Cam, would you mind shifting a bit?" she whispered.

He glanced up at her quickly. "Huh? No thanks I'm fine" and went back to his phone.

"Cam I'm kinda sandwiched here. Would you please just move?" she whispered a little annoyed.

"Oh I'm so sorry!" he said feigning shock. "Yeah sure", and immediately moved away. Claire sighed in relief.

A few minutes later she felt something touch her leg. She glanced down and saw Cam's Nike clad foot. Claire quickly pulled her legs back, thinking it was an accident when the same thing happened a few moments later.

She sighed. There was no way she was going to be able to focus on Calculus now.

It continued like that the whole period. Cam kept finding reasons to touch her and pretended to be shocked when she asked him to move.

Finally, the bell rang. The sound seemed to be the sweetest thing she had heard all day. She hurriedly grabbed her belongings and practically ran out the door. Behind her, Cam quietly chuckled. _This was too much fun_.

"Hey wait up!" Claire froze as she heard Cam calling her.

"See you later babe", saying this he gently kissed her cheek and sauntered off leaving Claire blushing breathless and totally confused.


	2. Chapter 2

Claire walked towards the cafeteria as the lunch bell rang. It was Friday afternoon. Her first week at school was officially over. _What a week_, she thought. Cam had followed her around everyday like the first day. Thankfully however he was not in any of her classes except Art, so she had finally been able to focus on her class-work and more importantly sort out the emotions raging inside of her.

She couldn't deny that she felt incredibly attracted to him. Although Claire had a wealthy background and was constantly surrounded by beautiful people, she had never even had a date, forget a boyfriend! So she was totally inexperienced when dealing with such things. She was actually very shy, preferreing to be alone with her music. Claire had always dreamt that her first boyfriend would be a handsome chivalrous charming guy. The one that would sweep her off her feet. The kind that exists solely in books and movies.

As she walked on, lost in her thoughts, Claire noticed a now familiar beat-up leather jacket by the cafeteria door. Her heart rate instantly accelerated and she tried to stay calm as she walked by him.

"Hey, wait up!", Cam shouted from behind her. he walked towards her and taking her hand guided her through the cafeteria doors.

"I was waiting for you", he said giving her a heart-stopping smile.

While Claire had been lost in her thoughts, Cam had also done some thinking in the past week. She wasn't gonna be as easy as the others, he'd realized. She wouldn't just agree to sleep with him. No he would have to get her to fall for him. He would have to be polite and charming and then once she was his, he would… Cam grinned as he conjured up images in his mind. It would be work, but he would do it. Cameron Fisher was not gonna lose a challenge. Especially not such a beautiful one.

As they walked through the cafeteria, all eyes turned on them. Massie's eyes widened as she saw Cam and Claire walking hand in hand and she surreptiously kicked Alicia under the table.

"Looks like Cam finally found a new target", said Alicia as she looked up at them.

"Look at her, she looks so embarrassed! Ugh, she's gonna be an easy prey for him", groaned Massie.

It was true. Claire was madly blushing as she saw everyone blatantly staring at her.

"Do you always blush so much?" asked Cam looking at her quizzically through his gorgeous eyes.

"N-No. I hate it when people stare", muttered Claire.

"Well I think it's very cute", whispered Cam huskily as his fingers lightly trailed down her flushed cheek.

She blushed even harder, if that was actually possible and felt a shiver run down her back as his fingers made contact.

They sat down, as Massie and the rest of the gang greeted her and asked about her day. As she talked to them she realized Cam was still standing behind her.

She turned around and asked "Why are you still standing?"

"Well because I'm waiting for you to tell me what you wanna eat so I can get you lunch, "he replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No that's fine, I can get my own lunch", she said hastily as she jumped up.

"Oh no you won't", he replied playfully putting his strong hands on her shoulders.

"Whatever, I guess I'll just have to surprise you", saying this he shrugged and made his way towards the food.

As she sat down, she noticed four pairs of eyes expectantly staring at her.

"So? What's up with you and Cam?" Kristen asked finally as she played with her chicken salad.

"What do you mean? Isn't he like this with everyone?" Claire asked confused. Shed pegged him as the play-boy flirty type.

"Nuh-Uh. Cam never buys anyone _anything ._Especially not a girl", replied Dylan snapping her gum.

"I guess he just likes you a lot", Massie commented thoughtfully. "Just be careful, kay? Cam is known for screwing girls and then dumping them the next day", she seriously said her amber eyes filled with concern.

Although they had only just met, Massie had already taken a liking to the shy blonde girl. Claire nodded. Her mind was still focused on the fact that he treated her differently than any other girl. _Why would he do that?_

Just then, Cam arrived with a tray full of every kind of food available in the cafeteria.

"This is your surprise? Turning me into Hulk by making me eat all this?" Claire asked ,her eyebrows raised.

"Nah, you're perfect the way you are. Just pick whatever you want", he replied. Claire's heart soared_. He had called her perfect!_ She picked up a roast beef sandwich and a carton of juice and hungrily took a bite oblivious to the amused looks Cam was giving her.

Just then the rest of the guys arrived and her friends immediately started up conversations with their boyfriends, totally forgetting about Claire. She sighed. _Was it gonna be like this every day?_

Cam noticed the change in her expression and decided to make use of the opportunity.

"Hey you wanna go someplace else? Away from these sappy people?" he leaned over and whispered to her.

She gratefully nodded and Cam grabbed their tray as they walked outside towards the grassy area which was in the centre, opposite to the cafeteria. Claire, still not used to the East Coast weather involuntarily shivered as the blast of cold wind hit her.

"Cold?" he asked her as they sat down under the shade of a tree. She nodded. He shrugged of his jacket and gave it to her. Claire shook her head.

"No it's ok".

"Just take it Claire before your teeth break from chattering", he replied giving her a crooked grin. She gratefully smiled and put on the jacket inhaling his smell. A mixture of old leather, Drakkar Noir and mint. Mmmm, he smells even better than he looks, she thought, as she hugged the jacket around her.

"What the hell-Claire!", Cam yelled snapping her out of her thoughts.

She looked up and her eyes widened in horror. While she had been thinking, she'd gripped her juice carton so tightly that it had squirted out, leaving an ugly stain on his pristine white shirt.

"Ohmigod, I'm so sorry. Shit! Lemme clean it up," she apologized grabbing a few tissues and tried to wipe it off.

"Chill Claire, I'll do it", saying this he took off his shirt and started to clean it himself.

Claire's heart was literally going into overdrive as she saw his chest, lean and tanned with well-toned abs. She was openly staring at him now. Cam noticed that and smirked to himself. _Too too easy_.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer". She looked up and saw Cam grinning at her in amusement.

"N-No. I-I was just-" she felt her face reddening as she stammered.

"Ah, there's that blush I love so much", he whispered leaning closer to her to touch her hot cheeks. They were now inches apart. She could see every detail of his face; his long eyelashes, his full lips. He was so close to her that she had to literally slap herself from reaching out and touching him. She looked into his blue-green eyes and thought she just might pass out.

"You're beautiful", he whispered and tilted his face as though to kiss her. Claire closed her eyes, waiting for it when suddenly he snapped back.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that", he said straightening himself and hurriedly put his shirt back on, just as the bell rang.

Claire nodded, still in a daze."It's ok", she faintly said. She collected her things and got up, walking towards her class, trying to steady herself. _That should keep her occupied for a while,_ thought Cam, as they walked , feeling very proud of himself.

x-x-x

Claire was lounging in the living room, her mind replaying the scene from Friday. It was Saturday morning and all Claire could think about was her first week at BOCD. Did she like Cam? Did he like her? She wondered as confused thoughts swirled in her head. If only someone would explain to her exactly what the hell was going on and what she was supposed to do.

Suddenly Claire grinned. Shelley would know. No one knew guys better than Shelley, her outgoing, boy-crazy, polar opposite best friend. She quickly pressed speed-dial one on her phone and placed it to her ear, excited to actually be having some news for her friend.

_.Ring_.

"Hey Lyons! How's it going there in the land of grey and cold?" a voice shouted from the other end.

"Shells! God I missed you so much. It's really not that bad. I made some pretty good friends here too. Aaand I think I like a guy", she finished quickly.

There was silence on the other end. "Shelley?" Claire asked.

"Claire? Is that you? Are you pranking me?"Shelley asked slowly.

Claire laughed. "Nah, I'm serious. That's why I need your help you boy-guru", Claire teased.

"Og My God! All these years I spend on trying to get you to go out on a date and your first week in New York you find someone to like? Huh, I'm hurt", she mocked, laughing.

"So tell me what's he like?", Shelley asked curious to know what guy had managed to catch Claire's attention.

"His name is Cam Fisher. He's amazing and really really hot. But he's also very nice and charming and he flirts all the time! He walks me to my classes, buys lunch and everything", Claire finished.

"Wow. Sounds like he likes you. Do you like him?"

"I don't know. Is it like if I feel like passing out every time he smiles at me? Or when I can't stop blushing around him?" she blurted out.

"Oh you like him all right. Thank God Claire, This is finally proof that you're a normal teenage girl. I was beginning to think something was wrong", Shelley replied solemnly. Claire laughed.

"Tell him you like him and make us both happy. Gotta go now. Jake is here." said Shelley. Jake was her on and off boyfriend.

"Aww, you guys together again?" Claire asked curiously.

"Yup, gotta go ttyl!" Claire hung up and smiled as she thought about what Shelley had said. She did like him, Claire realized. She had just needed someone to tell her that. The only problem was that she knew there was no way in hell she would have the courage to tell him that. It was something that bold and outspoken Shelley would do. But Claire? Never.

Just then her phone vibrated. It was a text from Massie. _Goin to the mall. Pick u up in 5__**.**_ She smiled. She needed to get out of the house and stop obsessing over Cam. Claire ran to her room and changed into a soft grey tunic, shiny black leggings and her favorite charcoal Uggs. She grabbed her Burberry trench coat and quickly texted her mom that she'd be out. Just then a car honked in her driveway. Claire picked up her purse and hurried towards the car.

"Hey! Get in. This is a girls thing we do every Saturday", Massie explained as Claire got in the warm town car."Absolutely no guys."

"Great! I am so ready for some retail therapy", she said, sighing dramatically as she giggled.

"You don't feel bad, do you? When we hang out with the guys?", Dylan asked suddenly her green eyes furrowed. She looked really pretty today with her long red hair straightened, wearing a tight full sleeved black dress with black stockings and low heels.

"What? No! Of course not. Why would you think that?" Claire asked shocked.

"Well cuz that day we were talking and then all the guys came and you just took off with Cam", piped up Kristen.

"Oh yeah, I mean it is awkward when you guys talk to your boyfriends. So Cam asked me if I wanted to leave and I didn't wanna intrude so I said yes. But it's totally cool. I mean, I get it.", she quickly explained.

"Oh good. We'll try not to do that too much, don't worry", Dylan answered obviously relieved at Claire's answer.

"So what did you and Cam do?", Alicia asked mischievously, her lips curled into a smile.

"Oh, umm nothing. We just went to the playground and talked, Nothing special", replied Claire blushing as she spoke, the memory again playing in her mind.

Alicia nodded, clearly not buying it. Thankfully for Claire, the car slowly came to a halt. They had reached the mall.

"Come on, let's go we're here" Massie ordered as they all piled out of the car.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur as they hit each and every store in the mall. Claire, usually not into shopping, surprised herself by enjoying and even bought a Versace belt and a dress that according to Massie "made her look like a freakin model". They sat down in the food court sipping their lattes as they compared each other's purchases.

"Damn Claire! I so have to borrow that dress", Dylan said longingly looking at it.

"Are you kidding? I'm still drooling over your gorgeous Prada boots", Claire shot back, laughing as they got up and headed for another round of shopping.

x-x-x

"So how's it going with the bet? Ready to lose?", Josh asked Cam playfully as they played Call of Duty.

The guys were all hanging out at Derrick's place doing what they did best: Video games and talking about girls.

"In your dreams dude. In fact, I might even ask her out soon", he answered, still focused on his on-screen battle with Chris.

"Like she's gonna say yes. You've known her for a grand total of 1 week!", Chris commented, his eyes still glued to the screen.

" Course she will. Cuz A. I am Cam Fisher and B. cuz I know the perfect way to ask her".

"And that is?", Josh asked curiously. Cam had never put so much thought into asking a girl before.

"Wait and see jackass", he replied grinning as the screen flashed Game Over and did an impromptu victory dance. During the whole conversation, Derrick was unusually silent. He was thinking back to the conversation he had had with Massie last night over the phone.

"_Ok be honest. Why is Cam spending so much time with Claire?" she had asked._

"_Has he? I haven't noticed", he replied in what he hoped was a convincing voice._

"_Quit lying to me Harrington. I know he has got something going on in that sick mind of his", she snapped._

"_Oh come on. Maybe he just likes her. Cam is really not so bad you know", he replied not believing a single word._

"_Whatever. If he screws her up, I swear to God, he will pay. Claire is one of the sweetest people I have ever met and it's obvious that she already likes him a lot already", threatened Massie._

He didn't doubt it when Massie had threatened him like that. If there was one thing he knew it was that his girlfriend could be one scary person when she got pissed. He hoped Cam wouldn't succeed with Claire but considering that she already liked him, he highly doubted it.

"Oohh, careful Cam, people might end up thinking you actually like her", teased Kemp as the rest of the guys remained oblivious to Derricks silence.

Cam looked at him deadpanned and burst out laughing.

"Yeah right. She's not my type. I prefer my girls to be feistier", he said winking at Josh.

Josh instantly understood what he meant. _Alicia._ He frowned and abruptly turned his attention towards the game. He knew Alicia would never cheat on him but Cam's constant jokes and allusions still annoyed the hell out of him.

* * *

><p>AN: Guys, this is my first story so please tell me if I end up going too fast. Read and Review :)


	3. Chapter 3

Ok here's chapter 3. Enjoy :)

ThisGirlIsDefinietlyA10- Here you go :)

* * *

><p>"Mmm…Cammie you are soo good", Olivia murmured kissing him as his hands ran down her back. Cam grinned and let one hand rest on her butt while the other trailed up her shirt and unhooked her bra with a practiced precision. They were locked against each other in an otherwise empty corridor. He smirked as she wrapped her hands around his neck even tighter. Olivia Ryan was one of his many friends with benefits. <em>Fooling around with her always made Mondays more enjoyable<em>.

Claire walked through the corridor, glad to be early for once. She loved it when no one else was around. As she walked, she thought she saw someone. _Who could be here this early?_ She wondered.

Out of the corner of his eye, Cam spied a familiar mop of white-blonde hair walking down the corridor. _Shit._

He quickly disentangled himself from Olivia and ran towards Claire ignoring Olivia's indignant calls.

"Claire!" he yelled, jogging towards her.

She looked back surprised to find him here so early. "Hey. What are you doing here so early?", she asked.

"Wanted to talk to you. So today after school. You. Me. On a date?" he asked in his usual lazy voice.

Claire looked stunned. This was not what she had expected_. What?_ She could not believe her ears. _Had Cam really asked her out?_

"What? Are you asking me?" she asked in a disbelieving voice.

"Well, I don't see anyone else here", he replied giving her an amused smile.

"Come on Claire. I really like you", Cam lied when Claire didn't give him any reply.

Seeing that she still looked disbelieving Cam walked towards her and did the one thing he knew best. Cupping her face in his hands, he titled it upwards and he kissed her. Claire was so shocked at the realization that his lips, the ones she had fantasized about were actually kissing HER that she couldn't even respond.

"Come on, say yes", he whispered as he pulled away.

She quickly nodded. "Wh-Where?" she managed.

"I'll take you out to dinner. Tucci's.", he replied naming the most expensive restaurant in town. "Pick you up at 7.30. See ya later", he said giving her a two-fingered wave and walked away with his usual swagger as though nothing had happened.

Claire stood there rooted to the spot unable to stop the smile forming on her face.

x-x-x

"What's got you so high today?" joked Massie as they walked together towards their classes.

Claire flushed. "Cam asked me out. He's taking me to dinner today at Tucci's", she announced giddily. To her surprise, Massie didn't squeal or jump in delight. She just frowned and walked ahead.

"Oh wow, don't try to be too happy ", Claire muttered sarcastically, peeved at Massie's reaction. Massie looked at her and gave a quick smile.

"Of course I'm happy for you. Sorry, I just spaced out", she smiled at Claire again although the frown still remained.

They were quickly joined by the rest of the Pretty Committee. Claire told her news to everyone and they all shrieked and congratulated her.

"We just HAVE to dress you now." squealed Kristen.

"Don't eat anything even remotely spinach-y. We don't want your first kiss being all icky and gross", warned Dylan.

"Actually, we kinda already had our first kiss", Claire whispered shyly.

"WHAT?" Alicia yelled."Come on. Tell us!" she grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the washroom.

"Well… I came early to school and he was the only one there. He just told me he liked me and then he kissed me.", she explained unable to stop smiling as she did so.

"So how was it? Tell us! It's not every day you get to make out with the best kisser in school", asked Dylan excitedly.

"What?" she said as everyone pointedly looked at her. "I love Chris and everything but you can't deny it", Dylan said.

"It was my first kiss ever. He just grabbed me and I was too shell-shocked to even respond", Claire answered. "He must have thought I was a weirdo."

"Don't worry. I bet Fisher knew what he was doing. After all no one has more experience in that department than him. The guy has probably kissed half the schools female population", Kristen said giggling.

Massie meaningfully looked at Alicia and motioned for her to stay behind as the others continued babbling about Claire's date.

"Seems unbelievable, no?" she whispered.

Alicia nodded."I think this is the first time he has actually asked anyone out".

"What do you think he's gonna do?" Massie asked.

"Mass chill. Maybe he's just gonna take her out. Not everything is one big conspiracy, you paranoid person", Alicia joked.

Massie nodded, not entirely convinced. She just hoped for Claire's sake that that's all he wanted.

x-x-x

Claire barely noticed what happened the rest of the day. She was too excited for after school. Cam was not in any of her classes that day so she didn't have any chance of meeting him. She had hoped to meet him in lunch but Derrick had said that Cam had some work to catch up. Actually Cam was spending his lunch in the company of Ms. Kaufman but Claire obviously didn't know that.

The news that she was going out with Cameron Fisher soon spread like wildfire. She could either see the girls looking at her with total envy and hatred or congratulating her.

"Why do they hate me so much? It's just one date", she asked Kristen after one girl had given her a particularly dirty look as she walked by.

"Honey it's a date with Cam Fisher. He never goes out on dates, even though he's like THE hottest guy in school. He usually just hooks up with girls. So obviously people are gonna be jealous", Kristen explained.

Claire felt jealous, as she walked to her class. _Had Cam really hooked up with that many girls?_ Suddenly she felt very childish for being so giddy about their kiss. That was probably nothing compared to what some of the girls had experienced.

x-x-x

Finally, school was over. Claire quickly said good-bye to her friends and hurried to her car. Cam had said he'd pick her up at 7.30. That meant she had almost an hour left. When Claire reached home, she was surprised to see her mother sitting at the kitchen table.

"Mom? What are you doing at home?" Claire asked.

Her mother looked up from the files she had reading and smiled. "Hey honey. I decided to come home early today. I actually wanted to talk to you about something."

Claire sat down, wondering what could possibly be so important that her mother had to miss her work.

"Claire, sweetie do you like it here?" she asked, giving her a worried look.

"Of course!" Claire answered surprised.

"Well because you've always been homeschooled or gone to that boarding school with Todd. We never sent you to a _normal school._", her mother wrinkled her nose in distaste as she said the words. "I was just wondering if you were adjusting well enough."

"Mom I love it here! I made some really nice friends and I even have a date today", Claire replied happily.

Her mother sighed."I still don't think this is a good idea. Are you sure you wanna stay here and not go to that boarding school with your brother?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed in concern.

Claire nodded enthusiastically. She couldn't imagine leaving just when things were going so great! Her mother smiled. "Very well. Now go. Don't you have a date to get ready for?"

Claire grinned and ran up the stairs and entered her room. She put on her favorite song, Science & Faith by The Script, as she decided what to wear. She finally chose a light blue sleeveless dress that reached till her knees with a pair of white low-heels and left her hair loose. Claire never liked putting on make-up so she decided to go natural. She checked her watch. 7.20. _Crap_. She hurriedly sprayed some perfume, grabbed her clutch and went downstairs, deciding to wait for Cam in the living room.

7.30. He still hadn't come. Claire debated whether she should call him and remind him of the fact that he was supposed to take her out. She decided not to, thinking it would sound too eager.

7.45 Still no sign of him.

8.10 Claire sighed, thinking maybe he had regretted asking her out and had simply decided not to show up. He could have at least called, she grumbled.

Finally at 8.20, she heard a car honking outside in her driveway. She rushed out too see a cherry-red sports car waiting outside with Cam honking impatiently. Claire hurriedly ran to the car.

"Sorry, I got held up with stuff", he muttered not bothering to give any further explanation.

Claire nodded, as she got in the car, surprised at his cold behavior. _He could at least try to be nice considering he came an hour late_. Cam seemed to notice that too since he immediately reverted back to his old flirty, charming self.

They reached their destination and Cam gallantly opened the door for Claire. The whole dinner, he behaved like the perfect gentleman. He was attentive, complimented her on her clothes, made her laugh. Claire couldn't remember the last time she had enjoyed herself so much. As they walked out into the chilly night, Cam offered her his jacket, smiling at her meaningfully as he did so. Claire giggled, remembering the last time he had offered it to her.

"Do you mind if we take a walk? Its only 10 o' clock", Cam asked.

"Sure", she said glad to have any excuse to spend more time with him. As they talked, Claire couldn't help but think back to the conversation she had had with Kristen.

"So is it true about the rumors going around in the school?", she finally asked.

"What rumors?" he answered looking confused.

"The rumors that this is the first time you have asked someone out." she explained quietly.

"So you heard about that huh?" he looked up at her. "That means you know about my so-called reputation too."

She nodded, looking down at her hands, not sure whether he was pissed at her from bringing this up or not.

"Well it's not exactly true. I did take a girl out for ice-cream in 3rd grade", he said smiling crookedly at her. She smiled half-heartedly, still not looking up at him.

"Claire", he said seriously. She looked up noticing the change in his tone. "I may have done some stuff in the past. But it's different now. You're different. I'm not gonna do the same thing again. Not to you. You're special", he finished.

Claire blushed, shocked at his sudden confession. He turned towards her, abruptly stopping and pulled her into another kiss. She kissed him back deeply, feeling overwhelmed by his words.

If Cam had any idea how truly happy he had made Claire, he might have backed off a little.

And if Claire had known that she had just been fed the biggest pile of bullshit, it's safe to say that she would have been a little more than pissed.

But neither of them knew.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry I took so long but I had my finals and everything and it was really crazy. Anyways, this is a purely filler chapter cuz I couldn't think of anything else so I'm warning you. Oh and I was listening to Today was a fairytale by Taylor Swift when I wrote the last part of the chapter so if it sounds too mushy you know why. ;)

Thanks for reviews! They made me so happy its kinda sad :D.

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><p><em>They were inside an enormous ball room, he looking especially dashing in a well-cut tuxedo while she was wearing a soft midnight blue gown that reached the black and white checkered floor. He could not take his eyes off her as they had danced all night. <em>

"_You look gorgeous", he had whispered in her ear softly kissing her neck._

_She smiled."You look very nice yourself", she had answered back knowing full well that words simply could not describe how she thought he looked._

_He seemed to be able to read her thoughts as he smiled slowly and pulled her towards himself._

_She titled her head as his face came closer and closer and waited for the kiss as she found herself lost in his beautiful eyes._

_This could be Para… Para… Paradise…Para…para…._

Claire woke up with a start as her phone started ringing loudly. _Damn the stupid morning with its stupid alarms_, she thought. She pressed the snooze button on her phone and dropped back into her soft pillows pulling the sheets over her head as she closed her eyes, trying to bring back her particularly enjoyable dream.

Finally, she got up, sighing as she did so. She pushed the sheets away and made towards her bathroom, yawning heavily. As the warm water of the shower hit her face, Claire's mind drifted to the previous night. A large smile formed on her face as she remembered their date and Cam's sudden confession. She hadn't expected that from him at all.

She got out of the shower and made her way to her enormous walk-in closet, towel wrapped tightly under her arms. After some deliberation she picked out a white full sleeved t-shirt and black skinny jeans which she teamed up with cute ballet flats. She checked her watch and swore under her breath when she realized she was running late again. Having no time to fix her hair, Claire just covered it with a baby pink beret and hurriedly grabbed her school bag as she rushed out of the house.

x-x-x

Claire slowly trudged along the corridor keeping her eyes fixed to the ground. _This has NOT been a good day_. Not only had she reached school with seconds to spare, she had endured two whole hours of Physics, the one class where she didn't know anyone, where the whole time Olivia Ryan kept throwing her extremely dirty looks and snarkily whispering to her friends every time Claire looked at her. She had searched for Massie and the rest of the Pretty Committee but they were nowhere to be found and on top of that her stomach was grumbling loudly reminding her of the fact that she had eaten nothing the whole morning.

She longed to go home and just sleep in her comfy bed but sadly she had three more hours till school finished.

"Hey". Claire looked up to see Cam's smiling face next to her.

"Hey", she muttered dispiritedly, as she dragged her feet down the corridor.

"What's the matter?", he asked, quickly noticing the change in her behavior.

"Nothing. Bad day", she said, sighing. Her eyes narrowed as Olivia again passed her giving Claire a death glare.

"You look pissed. What happened?", he asked as he saw her narrowed eyes.

She started talking as Cam looked around barely paying attention to her, nodding occasionally. He spied Olivia simpering in his direction out of the corner of his eyes and he winked at her. She blushed, when she realized he had noticed her blatant staring and seductively smiled at him. Cam smirked and looked at Claire who continued talking totally unaware of their little exchange. Suddenly he realized that Claire had stopped talking.

"Oh that's too bad", he said sympathetically. "Come on, I know something that'll make you feel better", he said as he took her hand and led her into a seemingly abandoned stairwell.

She looked at him with confused eyes. "Cam what are you-", she started to say when Cam gently put a finger on her lips and slowly shook his head smiling at her mysteriously.

"Wait and see", he replied as he grabbed her hand and led her up the stairs. He stopped when they reached a door simply marked ROOF ACCESS.

Claire looked worried. "Cam are we supposed to be here? I mean, we have class".

He mentally rolled his eyes at her words. "Just wait and see Claire", he said as he took out a small silver key from the back pocket of his jeans. He quickly inserted the key into the lock and opened the door, motioning her to go inside.

Claire was dumbstruck when she saw what was beyond the door. It was a large room totally enclosed with glass. Brightly colored flowers grew in every direction. The afternoon sun cast dancing shadows on the pale ground as it glinted through the glass. Claire couldn't believe such a place had existed in her school and she hadn't even known about it.

"It's-it's beautiful", she stuttered as she looked around wide-eyed. Cam closed the door behind them.

"Yeah they grow all plants and shit here", he explained absent-mindedly.

"Thanks for showing this to me. But I think we should go now. We might get late", she reluctantly said as she delicately fingered a flower.

"Well, we could always just miss class", he said, walking towards her.

He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against the wall as she turned around and looked at him, surprise clearly showing in her wide eyes.

He traced her jaw-line with one hand as the other cupped her face and he tilted it upwards, gently bringing his lips down to hers. She readily kissed him back as her hands enveloped his neck and he tightly gripped her waist.

He lightly ran his tongue over her teeth and she parted them as their tongues touched for the first time.

Claire gripped his hair with one hand as the other trailed down his chest. She could feel the muscles underneath his shirt. His hands went under shirt as he fingered her bra, her skin tingling madly at his touch.

They finally broke apart as Claire looked at him face flushed and breathing hard.

He stroked her flat stomach as he whispered,"I'm guessing you don't wanna go to class today", with a smile he knew could melt any girl's heart.

She smiled at him and shook her head pulling him in as their lips crashed again.

x-x-x

Claire bobbed her head dancing to the music as she increased the volume of her iPod.

"Why don't we goooo somewhere only we knooww", she sang loudly as she walked into the kitchen looking for something to eat.

It was Saturday morning, and she absolutely nothing to do. She was just walking around the house, hoping to find something interesting to do. Claire was bored. There was nothing interesting on the TV, her parents were out as usual and she didn't feel like calling Shelley again.

Suddenly her phone vibrated. Claire removed her hand from the cookie jar and checked it. It was Cam calling her.

"Hello?" she answered in a voice stuffed with Oreos. She cringed as she realized how her voice was sounding. _Smooth Claire_.

"Claire?"She heard the familiar deep voice on the other hand.

"Yeah. What's up?" she asked, trying to ignore the butterflies his voice always caused.

"What are you doing today?"

"Nothing. Might hang out with Massie and the others. Why?" she asked as she walked out of the kitchen back up to her room.

"Well I was wondering if you wanted to hang out."

"Um sure, when?"

"I'll pick you up in an hour", he said and quickly hung up before she could ask anything else.

He grinned as he hung up and looked at Josh triumphantly. They were both hanging out at Josh's place.

"Told you she'd say yes", he smirked.

Josh shook his head and sighed, grinning at him.

"So where should I take her?" Cam asked. Everyone knew Josh was the resident expert when it came to being romantic.

"Take her out for a picnic. She'd like that", Josh suggested.

"Will she like that enough to wanna sleep with me?" Cam asked, one eyebrow raised.

Josh simply shook his head and sighed in mock despair.

Claire stared hard at the phone after Cam had hung up as though it would provide all the answers_. Well that was weird_.

Just then her phone vibrated again. She checked the caller ID hoping it would be Cam but it turned out to be Massie.

"Claire honey I'm coming by your house in 20 minutes ok? Meet me outside", she heard Massie say on the other end.

"Um actually Cam asked me if we could hang out and I kinda said yes", Claire replied quickly.

Silence at the other end.

"What?" Massie snapped.

"Claire you know we do this every Saturday. Why did you agree then?" Massie asked in an annoyed tone.

"I'm sorry, I kinda forgot", Claire apologized, nervously biting her nails.

"Well you gotta say no to him. Call him up and tell him", she ordered.

"What?" Claire asked confusedly. "Why would I say no to him?"

"Well cuz you're gonna be hanging out with us, right?" she asked pointedly

Claire hesitated for a minute. She didn't want to piss Massie off but she really wanted to spend more time with Cam.

"Um how bout I come next Saturday. I mean he'll feel bad if I say no", she said in a pleading tone.

Massie sighed. "Fine. Whatever." And abruptly cut the call.

She looked around at the other girls who had been following the whole conversation.

"She's not coming. She's got a date with HIM", Massie announced in a clipped voice. They rolled their eyes and groaned.

"So she ignores us the whole week AND the weekend?" Alicia asked in an incredulous voice.

"Whatever. Her loss."

Claire debated whether she should call Cam and cancel. She had heard the annoyance in Massie's voice. After all, it was kind of unfair of her to ditch her friends, she reasoned.

_But why should I care so much about Massie's feelings anyway? I didn't mind when they ignored me for their boyfriends_, she thought petulantly.

She decided to stop worrying so much and just go ahead with the date.

She heard the sound of a car pulling up in the driveway. She went out to see who it could be and saw Cam walking towards the door, twirling his keys around his finger.

He lazily smiled when he saw Claire standing at the door.

"Come on let's go", he said taking her hand.

"B-But, I'm not ready. I don't even know what to wear", she stuttered. She hadn't expected him to come so early.

"It's ok, you look fine. Let's go!" he said impatiently tugging her hand.

"Ok ok, hold on", she ran inside, took her phone and came back.

He took her hand and quickly led her to the car.

"So where are we going"? She asked curiously.

He grinned. "That is something you're gonna have to wait for", he replied.

She sighed. "Do you have problems with telling people things?" she asked with mock anger, wagging a finger at him.

"Do you have problems with asking too many damn questions?" he shot back smiling slightly.

She huffed as she rested her head on the headrest. Cam removed one hand from the steering wheel and placed it on her knee. Claire smiled, enjoying the feeling of warmth it caused.

They drove for quite a while, Claire quizzing him about himself the whole time. She wanted to know more about him, was the reason she gave when he exasperatedly asked her why he was being given the third degree.

Finally, they reached their destination. Claire got out of the car and stretched herself as she looked around her.

All she could see was miles and miles of grass around them, gleaming in the warm yellow sun. The sky above them was a clear blue with the occasional fluffy white cloud lazily drifting by.

"Where the hell are we?" she asked, looking around.

"It's a little outside the city. Just a spot near the highway" Cam explained as he opened the trunk of the car and removed a tiny basket.

Claire looked at the basket curiously. "Aww, don't tell me you brought a picnic basket?" she exclaimed excitedly.

Cam nodded. "Yup. I figured its one of those things couples do so why not? Come on, were having a picnic!" as he started running through the grass.

She laughed and followed him excitedly.

They finally got a spot underneath some trees and sat down under the shade, breathless after running.

Claire observed him as he unpacked the basket, his long hands deftly unpacking as his hair ruffled in the wind.

She smiled. _He looked so cute._

"Hey Cam".

He looked up at the sound of her voice.

"What?"

She leaned towards him and quickly kissed him.

"Thanks for this", she whispered.

He gave her his trademark smile. "No problem."

_This is already the best day ever_, Claire thought.

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><p>Read and Review please :)<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry I took so long but school has been c-razy! I might not be able to update as regularly as before.

Anyways hope you enjoy this chapter and keep reviewing. :)

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><p>"Ohmigod… Derrick asked me to the dance!" Massie squealed excitedly as she caught up with her friends.<p>

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Duh. He's your boyfriend Mass. That's kinda expected."

"Oh shut up, it was sooo romantic", she sighed, dismissively waving off Alicia's comment with her hand.

"I opened to my locker to get my books and stuff and there was this little wooden box inside with a note that said 'From Derrick'. So I opened it and it was like one of those music box thingies, you know? There was the cutest little figure of a couple dancing and they looked exactly like me and Derrick! And then there was another note that said 'Will you go to dance with me?'

"Awww…that's so cuute", Dylan cooed as she twirled a strand of her hair around her fingers.

"I know right? I mean it's not like the dance is really special or anything but he still went through all this trouble for me", Massie gushed, a love-struck expression forming on her face.

"Totally. Do you know how Josh did? Last Thursday we were at the lake and he-"

Claire zoned out as Alicia dreamily rattled on about how her boyfriend has asked her to the dance, the others listening captivated. The annual OCD Halloween Ball was going to take place on the weekend and the dance was all anyone could talk about. Rumor had it that the organizers had pulled out all stops for this year's dance. The whole week all Claire had heard were excited conversations about dresses, dates or after parties.

But try as she could, she couldn't bring herself to get excited for the dance. What was bothering Claire was the fact that Cam still hadn't asked her. Even though she knew it was not necessary considering that they had been dating for five weeks now, Claire couldn't help but feel miffed at the fact that all the other girls except her got asked out in the most incredibly romantic ways. Even Kristen, who was not even remotely interested in dating, was going with Kemp Hurley.

_What is going on with Cam_, she wondered not for the first time in the past few days. He seemed a little off lately, she had noticed. Claire thought back to the first week when they had first started dating. He had been the perfect boyfriend. Sweet, caring, romantic. She smiled wistfully as the memory of their romantic picnic came rushing to her. They had talked for hours and Claire had never felt more closer to Cam than she had that day.

That had all changed in the previous week. She and Cam had barely spent any time together. He was always rushing off somewhere or he would say he was busy with family stuff whenever she called him. Which she did. A lot.

Even when they did meet, Cam was always more interested in going to parties and getting drunk or making out rather than just talk or simply hang out together_. Not that she was complaining_, Claire told herself. She was fine with anything as long as it meant spending time with him.

"Claire, has Cam asked you to the dance yet?" Alicia's voice brought Claire back to reality as she looked up to see all of them expectantly staring at her.

"No, not yet. But it doesn't matter. He doesn't need to", she replied unable to hide the disappointment from her voice.

"Doesn't need to?" Massie snorted."Claire every person in this school can talk about nothing but the dance. What do you guys even talk about when you hang out?" she asked incredulously.

"Umm we don't really talk. We just…" Claire's voice trailed off as she felt her cheeks reddening.

"Passionately eat each other's faces?" Dylan offered looking at her with a raised eyebrow as the rest of them burst out laughing. Claire glared at her and looked away fiddling with the strap of her bag.

"Ooohh…Have you guys done it yet?" Massie asked looking at her half –teasingly half-concerned.

Claire stopped fiddling with the strap of her bag and her head shot up."What? No! Of course not!" she exclaimed looking appalled.

Massie chuckled. "Relax Claire, don't be such a saint. It's bound to happen sooner or later."

Claire blushed. She was sure she wasn't ready to go all the way with anyone yet. Not even Cam. Sure she liked him and everything but the thought of actually doing it was pretty scary.

_Is that why Cam's acting so weird? Does he want us to have sex? _She wondered as the thought suddenly struck her. _That would certainly explain his behavior_.

"But it's barely been one month since we started dating. Don't you think it's too soon?" she asked a little hesitantly.

"Puh-lease. Me and Derrick were all over each other by the second week or so.", Massie replied casually as she checked her reflection in her compact mirror.

"Yeah and don't even bother asking me. Me and Josh started dating AFTER we hooked up with each other." Alicia said giggling.

"Don't worry Claire. It took me and Chris six months. Cuz I was like really nervous too", offered Dylan helpfully. Claire gave her a weak smile and nodded still not any closer to an answer.

"Don't go by us. Just do whatever you wanna do… or whoever you wanna do", replied Massie giving her a wink, laughing at Claire's expression.

x-x-x

When Claire had thought that Cam was beginning to lose interest in her because of the sex or rather lack of it, little did she know how true she was. Cam was getting increasingly impatient by the day. He had waited five weeks. Five weeks! With no female company whatsoever. That was like a record for him. He grimaced as he walked towards the cafeteria.

For the first time Cam began to think that he might end up losing the bet. He gritted his teeth at the thought. Not only would Josh never let him live this down, it was also a personal insult to Cam that he, Cameron Fisher, could not get a girl.

_Like that's gonna happen, No way am I gonna lose cuz of HER_, Cam thought grimly, as he walked down the crowded corridor towards the cafeteria. Ahead of him, he spotted Claire with the rest of her friends. He smirked and moved purposefully towards her with new-found sense of determination.

"Hey", he called out to Claire and pulled her quickly in for a kiss not noticing the way her face lighted up when he had called her.

"Ugh, Please cut the PDA!" groaned Kristen. They quickly broke apart, Claire looking a little flushed.

"Sorry", she said clearly not meaning it as she gave Cam a wide grin, surveying him through the corner of her eye.

He looked really good today. Better than usual she felt. His perfectly toned muscles could be seen under his tight white shirt which brought out his tan even more than usual. eE had styled his hair back today as opposed to the usual shaggy mess it was everyday and his trademark leather jacket hung loosely over his shoulder. He carried two books in one hand (Heaven forbid Cameron Fisher would carry something as _nerdy_ as a book bag!) while the other one was holding her hand and distractingly stroking it.

"Come on, let's get out of here" he replied tugging at her hand impatiently ignoring the admiring looks he was getting from the rest of the girls in the corridor. No time for that now. First he had to get to work.

She looked surprised but hastily said good-bye to her friends as she followed Cam. He led them into a deserted classroom and quickly shut the door pulling her inside.

Claire stood behind him looking puzzled. He turned around and placed a hand behind her neck roughly grabbing her and started kissing her, his hands already running up and down her body. Claire, still leaning against the door, kissed him back hesitantly still unsure of what he wanted but enjoying it nevertheless.

He finally pulled back gasping for air, his lips slightly parted and hoisted her up on the desk tightly pinning her hands as her skirt rode up alarmingly high. Claire looked into his eyes and saw a strange expression, a mixture of lust and determination, as he hungrily kissed her neck. She let out a soft moan, her heart thudding uncontrollably as she kissed him back with a longing she didn't even know she felt. She had missed Cam so much the past few days. She could feel the relief of having him back washing over her as she kissed him hard.

He removed his hands from her wrists which he had been gripping tightly and used them to hold her face turning it upwards as he nibbled along her jaw line. She wrapped her legs around his waist too caught up to care about her skirt and wrapped one hand around his neck pulling him down towards her while the other trailed up his chest and he let out a low groan.

He suddenly broke away breathing hard, his eyes wide and hair unruly. Claire looked at her legs, still wrapped round his waist, her skirt which had ridden up so high that it was nearly showing her underwear and her whole face flushed with embarrassment. She couldn't believe she had just acted like that!

"God Claire, I want you. Right now." he whispered hoarsely looking at her with a hungry expression as his hands ran up her skirt suddenly causing her to shiver.

Claire looked at him nervously. True she wanted Cam just as badly but that didn't mean she was ready to have sex with him. And definitely not in a classroom in the middle of lunch!

"Cam I'm not sure I'm ready", she said softly not meeting his eyes as she played with her fingers.

He quickly removed his hands and took a step away gritting his teeth in frustration.

"Why not Claire? I don't get what's the problem", he said sounding annoyed.

"It just…seems too soon somehow", she whispered and looked up to see his annoyed face.

"Too soon? Claire it's been five weeks! Relationships are supposed to be all about progress. I just don't see how we're gonna do that if you won't even sleep with your boyfriend", he spat.

Claire was close to tears as she looked at Cam stung at his unnaturally harsh words. A small part in the back of her mind wondered if Cam was right.

Cam looked at her and saw her eyes filling up with tears_. Shit. Ok. Bad idea_. He immediately softened his gaze and put an arm around her pulling her close towards him.

"I'm sorry if I got angry baby. It's just that I want you so badly", he huskily and gently kissed her forehead.

She nodded, leaning into him, savoring the warmth."I want you too. I'm just…I'm scared", she said the last word quietly.

Cam almost rolled his eyes when he heard her say that.

"Don't be. I won't let anything bad happen. You know that Claire", he said in what he hoped was a comforting tone.

"Yeah...I know. You know what? I'm ready. let's do it", she said sounding more determined than she felt. Cam grinned triumphantly_. Victory!_ He moved towards her and started kissing her again his hands already trailing under her skirt.

She turned her face away. "Cam! We'll do it. Just not here", she said looking around the empty classroom. It seemed too weird and definitely not what she had imagined her first time to be like.

Cam sighed, taking his hand back. "Sure Claire. Wherever you want." he said relieved that she had at least agreed.

"I-Do you wanna go to the dance?" she asked looking at him hopefully and somewhat glad to have a change of topic since she had no idea where or when she actually wanted to lose her virginity.

"No. Not particularly." He said nonchalantly.

Her face fell."Oh I was just thinking that it would be fun."

"Well we can go if you wanna go."

"Sure!" she exclaimed smiling widely. "You still have to ask me, you know", she said half-teasing and half-serious.

"Why? Who else would you go with?" he replied laughing carelessly. "Come on, we gotta go. Lunch is nearly over." he said and took her hand and walked out of the classroom without looking back, not seeing her disappointed face.

Claire sighed and slowly followed him out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N :Sorry for the late updating!. Apologies for the sucky grammar. I swear I think I forgot everything I learnt about English while writing this. Thank you soo much for the reviews! You guys are officially awesome.**

**Oh and a million thanks to all the people who read this story. I got 1000+ hits! **

**Okay I'll stop now. Read the chapter. Although some of you Claire-supporters might not like it.**

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><p><strong>She's got a boyfriend now.<strong>

Claire stared at the dress hanging up in her walk-in closet with a feeling of apprehension. The Halloween Dance was exactly three hours away.

She had been immensely relieved when the express-ordered package from Neiman Marcus had arrived in the morning containing the aquamarine blue Alberta Ferretti dress.

She had come across the dress while shopping online and had immediately fallen in love with it.

It was so _her_. Flirty and playful, yet innocent enough that no one would suspect her of being slutty. The one shouldered dress ended just above her knees and the floaty, soft, Italian material felt amazing over her skin.

Her right shoulder lay bare while the left one was covered with an elaborate bow. The back was modest. Not too revealing, showing only till mid-spine. The part above her knees was slightly ruffled giving the whole dress a flowy feel.

The neck line was low enough to display a tantalizing amount of skin, more than she was usually comfortable with, but ended firmly above her chest.

A thin blue strip cinched around her cleavage making it look fuller than usual. The tiny sparkles in the soft gauzy material glistened in the low lighting of her vanity mirror giving her an almost angelic glow.

She sighed. If only she could stop thinking about _that _andfocus completely on how beautiful she looked and how much fun she was going to have tonight.

But no. Her mind kept persistently returning to the thing she had been constantly thinking, no _obsessing _about the past week.

Sex.

More precisely, sex with Cameron Fisher. Her boyfriend and also incidentally the one she was planning on losing her virginity to. Tonight.

Claire gulped nervously, a tight knot already forming in her stomach. For what was probably the millionth time, she wondered whether she was ready for it.

She knew she was being paranoid. Girls slept with their boyfriends all the time. It was totally normal. Her own friends were proof of that.

And she already knew about protection and birth control, since her over-protective mother had gotten her started on the pill by the time she hit 14.

No, what was bothering her was the tiny, annoying voice in the back of her head that kept reminding her that this was not how it was supposed to be. Not how she had dreamt it to be.

Losing it after a school dance just to please her boyfriend was definitely not how she had wanted her first time to be like.

_So what?_ Claire thought defiantly. _This is not some trashy chick-flick where some tall, handsome stranger will sweep me off my feet. This is reality, not a fucking fairytale. I love Cam and I am gonna have sex with him tonight and that's that._

She let out a deep breath, stunned by her sudden determination.

Suddenly she giggled_. I must really be going crazy if I'm sitting around arguing with my own mind._

She jumped up from the low stool, feeling much better now that she had finally made her decision, and checked the time. _Shit. It's already 530. I'm supposed to be at Massie's now!_

Cursing under her breath, she quickly unzipped the dress, letting it gather around her ankles.

She grabbed a pair of True Religion jeans and a random t-shirt and quickly dressed herself while simultaneously trying to pack her dress and makeup in an oversized Coach tote.

She was just about to leave when she realized she had forgotten something. She ran to her closet and rummaged around till she found it: A Salvatore Ferragamo box with her favorite heels.

She hurriedly dumped it in her tote and ran out to her car, as a shiver of excitement ran through her. Tonight was going to be awesome. In more ways than one.

x-x-x

"Kuh-laire! What took you so long?", Massie snapped as Claire entered the room half an hour late.

_Whoa_, she thought as her eyes swept across the Alpha's room for the first time. She was so stunned that she didn't even bother replying.

White. White. White. White everywhere. The floor. The ceiling. The bed. The antique coffee-table. The soft oversized pillows. The doors to her enormous walk-in closet. The soft floating curtains which covered the large picture-windows. Her laptop. Her flat screen plasma TV. Absolutely everywhere. It was dizzying to look at.

The only splash of color present in the room was a rich purple comforter and her four friends who were currently giggling at Claire's dumb-struck expression.

"Welcome to the I-Pad", said Kristen snickering softly.

Claire blinked when she saw them, slowly closing her open mouth.

"Sorry, I was late" she said giving them a sheepish smile.

"Not acceptable. Kuh-laire", Massie snapped glaring at her. "Jakkob will be coming anytime now and we haven't even gotten ready yet AND we still have to give each other ratings!"

"I know I know… I'm sorry. I kinda got held up."

"Doing what?" Kristen asked curiously.

"Yeah. What could possibly be more important than dressing up for the dance?" Alicia asked with genuine surprise.

"I-uh…I was just thinking and I lost track of time." She blurted out unable to think of any plausible lie.

"Reaallly? About what? Do tell Claire" Alicia asked, her lips curved in a teasing smile.

"Well…I decided-" she hesitated, looking at their expectant faces-"ImgonnasleepwCamtonight."

"Huh? What?" everyone asked confused.

She took a deep breath. "I'm gonna have sex with Cam. Tonight. After the dance."

Her reply was met with stunned silence from everyone.

"Well, good for you Claire…I'm really happy you guys are serious", Dylan finally spoke up giving her a small smile.

Everyone else chorused their approval giving her half-hearted smiles. Everyone except Massie. Her amber eyes narrowed as she closely observed Claire.

"Mass? You haven't said anything" Claire asked hesitantly.

Massie's head snapped up."Huh, yeah that's great. I'm happy for you." She quickly replied not looking at Claire's eyes.

"Umm Alicia, come with me. "She ordered. "I think I left my iPod downstairs." Saying this Massie quickly walked out of the room with a bewildered Alicia following behind.

x-x-x

"Massie…stop!" Alicia yelled as she tried to keep up with Massie's long strides. "You know I can't run!"

Massie finally stopped when they reached the living room. She spun around to face Alicia who was already panting for breath by then.

"Ehmagawd Massie… What is your problem? You know your iPod is with me" Alicia asked glaring at Massie.

Massie ignored her. "What the hell is going on with her?" she demanded stomping her foot in frustration.

"Who? Are you talking about Claire?"

"Damn right I am! Leesh…Please explain to me what the hell is happening here. I mean till yesterday she is a freakin saint who shyes at the very mention of sex and today she claims to have an 'epiphany' and that's it! She's just gonna go and sleep with the schools biggest douche bag! " she ranted.

"Mass…don't worry. Maybe she's just ready to have sex. I mean she is a teenager after all…" Alicia said soothingly.

Massie snorted. "Claire? Never. That girl's as pure as a nun. I don't know Leesh. I'm worried about her. I mean come on, you know how Cam is. He's practically undressing you with his eyes every time he looks at you! What if he's just in it for the sex and he goes and dumps her tomorrow?"

Alicia flinched at Massie's words."I know, okay? Do you think I _enjoy_ the fact that my boyfriend's best friend is a total pervert and after me? Of course not! But he makes Claire happy and who knows? He could actually be serious with her."

"I don't know… I have a bad feeling about this."

"Massie. You don't have to be the protector all the time. She's not some little girl okay? She can take care of herself. Don't worry about it."

Massie sighed knowing she was right. There was a reason Massie had called Alicia out of the rest of the people. She maybe a bit of an airhead and extremely pathetic at any kind of physical exercise but the girl knew her like no one else.

She smiled gratefully at her closest friend.

"Yeah you're right. Come awn, let's go back inside before anyone gets curious."

x-x-x

Massie and Alicia reentered the I-Pad to see the rest of the girls laughing and comparing their dresses.

"Come on you guys, we need to start getting ready. Jakkob could be here anytime." Massie clapped her hands and they all hurried towards her enormous wall-to-wall mirror, putting on their dresses, shoes, make-up.

"Miss Block, Jakkob has arrived", Inez announced in a prim voice, her head peeking through the door.

"Let him in" she said busy checking herself out in the Elie Saab dress she had chosen for herself.

"Massiiee…Mon Cherie I am here! Oh Mon dieu! You ladies look so beautiful! You will be breaking many hearts tonight…" a tall man entered, exclaiming in a thickly accented voice. A stressed-out assistant scurried behind looking around the room with obvious awe.

"Jakkob! Good, you're finally here" Massie greeted him and the rest of the Pretty Committee joined in, all except for Claire who stayed behind wondering who the hell Jakkob was.

Massie must have noticed it too since she suddenly called "Claire! Come over here…you have to meet Jakkob."

"Jakkob, this is Claire. She just moved here around three months ago."

"Claire, this is Jakkob, probably THE best hairdresser in Westchester."

"Your hair mademoiselle! It is truly gorgeous" Jakkob said grandly, fingering a lock of her hair.

Claire smiled self-consciously. "Umm…Thanks."

Jakkob rubbed his hands together. "Ok...let's get started. Mina here is my assistant"-he dismissively gestured towards the assistant-"shell be doing your make-up while I work wonders with your hair."

One hour later.

Massie, Claire, Kristen, Alicia and Dylan sat next to each other in five chairs, wearing identical robes facing the mirror. Jakkob and his team had finished their hair and make-up and now it was time to give the ratings.

Slowly at Massie's command, each girl removed her robe. Claire gasped as she saw the girls staring back at her in the mirror.

They were beautiful. Scratch that. They looked absolutely, stunningly gorgeous. They looked so perfect as though they belonged in a painting or a photo.

She looked around and saw the others laughing and comparing as though they saw such perfection every day. Which now that Claire thought of it, they probably did.

She looked at them as they fussed around with their hair, smoothed down dresses.

Alicia looked…well like Alicia. Completely and utterly mind blowing. She had chosen a short white figure-hugging Moschino dress with light floral prints which skimmed till mid-thigh.

It had wrist-length sleeves and a plunging neckline that almost reached her navel which perfectly showed off her Double-D's. She had teamed that up with metallic gold Jimmy Choo pumps and her bronzed arms were covered with gold bangles.

Jakkob had styled her chocolate-brown hair so that it fanned around her in sexy waves and Mina had applied shimmery gold eye shadow which made her look like some sort of Roman goddess.

Kristen on the other hand and decided to show-off her quirky side in a gold Alexander McQueen silk jacquard dress which ended high on her thighs.

The capped sleeves and the short length showed off her slim arms and legs, toned due hours of soccer.

The v-shaped neckline showed just the right amount of cleavage and drew attention to the single solitaire clasped around her neck. Like Alicia she had also opted for gold Christian Louboutin sling backs.

Her long blonde hair perfectly straightened reached down to her back, swishing prettily as she moved and her sea-green eyes popped out under the smoky eye-shadow.

Claire's gaze moved towards Dylan who was currently toying with her hair which Jakkob had curled and tied into a bun. She could already see a few loose tendrils which had escaped.

Dylan had chosen a champagne colored Dolce & Gabbana which displayed her newly-skinny figure perfectly.

The corset-seamed front consisted of a v-neckline studded with gold and ended in a straight skirt which reached till her knees.

Thin straps ran down her back which was completely exposed. Her nude Alejandro Ingelmo 'Sophia' pumps combined with the minimalistic make-up made her look absolutely elegant.

Finally, her eyes traveled towards Massie. Their Alpha looked absolutely stunning tonight in a full-length black Elie Saab dress. The dressed fitted her like a second skin, showing off her curvy hips and tiny waist and shimmered when the light hit it.

The dress had a high neckline and short sleeves and the black sparkles made her creamy skin positively glow.

Her auburn hair was tied in a loose bun at the nape of her neck and her amber eyes were shining with excitement.

Her BCBG Maxazria black heels were almost hidden by the dress. A dainty tennis bracelet was clasped around her slim wrist.

"Okay everyone. It's time to rate ourselves" Massie announced. "Claire, you're up first."

Claire walked up and stood in the centre of the room.

"Umm I'm wearing an aquamarine Alberta Ferretti dress and Salvatore Ferragamo heels."

"8."

"8"

"8.5"

"8. You need to apply some pale blue eye shadow. It'll make your eyes pop out." Said Alicia.

Claire nodded and quickly walked back to her chair.

"Kristen. You're next."

"I'm wearing a gold Alexander McQueen dress with Christian Louboutin 'Bling' sling backs and pale gold Barry Kronen bangles."

"Very pretty. I'd give you a nine." Massie said approvingly.

"Same here."

"I'd give an 8.5"

"9"

Kristen beamed and sashayed back to her spot.

After they had finished rating everyone, Inez popped her head through the door again.

"You dates are here Ms. Block."

Everyone suddenly started moving quickly applying last minute touch-ups, spraying perfume, putting on heels.

"Alejandro. On the count of 3." Massie whispered as they all gathered around the top of the staircase ready to make their entrance.

As they slowly made their way down the stairs, Claire could see the guys expectantly waiting downstairs.

The boys looked very handsome in their designer black tuxedos. She mentally grinned however, when she saw their dumb-struck expressions. It was good to know that she was having that kind of effect on someone.

Cam's eyes nearly popped out when he saw Alicia walking down the stairs.

That dress did little to cover up her boobs and he could hardly take his eyes away from her. Compared to that, Claire looked like a little girl.

He watched as Alicia made her way towards Josh, a tiny smile playing on her lips. Josh stared at her with a glazed look in his eyes.

"Hey." Cam tore his gaze away from her to see Claire standing in front of him.

"Hey. You look good." He said leaning in for a kiss.

She quickly turned her face away, ignoring his confused expression. "So, I've been doing some thinking..." she started nervously. "…and I think I'm ready. For sex." she added for clarification.

_Wait. What?_ Cam looked at her with surprise.

"Are you sure?". He looked at her uncertainly.

She nodded."You were right. All the things you said. And I'd rather have my first time be with you than anyone else." She said softly.

He mentally congratulated himself and gave her a broad smile. This was going better than expected

"So when do you wanna do it?"

"Tonight."

"Tonight? Like after the dance?" he asked incredulously, not believing his ears.

Claire nodded resolutely.

He grinned at her, suddenly feeling a lot more excited about the dance and pulled her into a hug.

"You're gonna have the best night of your life." He whispered into her hair, already imagining the look on Josh's face tomorrow morning.

* * *

><p>Sorry bout the lack of action in this chapter but the next chapters will make-up for it. I promise.<p>

Any questions, suggestions, complaints? Tell me all in a REVIEW!


	7. Chapter 7

Ok firstly I'm terribly sorry for not updating sooner but I just had my SAT's today and I was pretty busy with those. So I decided to make this chapter a little longer to make up for the crappiness of the last chapter and the long wait. Hope you like it, its ten freakin pages!

Oh and another thing. **There is not and will never be a Calicia**. I am perfectly happy with the canon pairings and not gonna bother changing them. Alicia is in a great relationship with Josh and nothing like that is EVER gonna happen. I just added those incidents to show Cam's nature.

Jeez you guys really don't like them! Anyways, read on now. And tell me what you thought

* * *

><p><strong>The Fourth Drink Instinct<strong>

They all clambered into the limo, laughing and talking. Once they were all seated inside, Derrick took out a bottle of champagne and opened it, letting the bubbly liquid spill as he poured it into individual glasses.

"To hot girls and shitty school events" he declared raising his flute.

"To hot girls and shitty school events" they all chorused. Claire took a small sip as Kemp yelled "Dude what's with this gay shit? Where's the real booze Chris gave you?" She saw Kristen rolling her eyes at her date's antics.

The drive to the hotel where they ball was held was short and uneventful.

Everyone was pretty much wrapped up with their dates to have any sort of conversation. Normally, Claire would have minded at being the odd one out again, but not anymore.

She leaned against Cam's broad shoulders, sighing as she inhaled his musky scent. She discreetly observed him from the corner of her eye.

He looked good tonight Like _really_ good. There was something about guys in tuxedos that made women around the world melt.

His broad shoulders and muscled chest were clearly defined in the well-fitted tux. He had styled his hair so that it was slicked back rather than his usual shaggy style making his features seem more pronounced. His eyes sparkled even more so than usual and made his skin look more tanned somehow.

She could have spent hours gazing at his face, trying to absorb every aspect, every feature, but the limo suddenly came to a halt, shaking her out of her thoughts. They had arrived.

They got out of the limo, and made their way towards the doors, where a scrawny kid checked their passes and ushered them in.

They made their way across the artfully decorated lobby, the heels clacking against the gleaming floors. As they made their way towards the huge ballroom, Claire could already hear the thumping of loud music.

She looked around the wide expanse of the ballroom, taking in the tasteful Halloween decorations. Streamers, jack-o-lanterns, fake coffins, the whole deal. But they looked nothing like the tacky decorations one saw in usual school dances. The huge white disco lights rotated around the room, momentarily illuminating people's faces as they danced to the music.

"Let's go get a table" Cam whispered in her ear and gripped her elbow leading her away from the dancing mass of people.

This was why he hated dances. A whole night of mindless dancing and bad food combined with the lack of alcohol was enough to drive anyone up the wall. At least he had something to look forward to tonight.

He glanced at Claire, who was taking in her surroundings with wide eyes as thought it was her first school dance. Which knowing her, probably was.

He wondered what would happen tomorrow after he had finally won the bet. They would break-up of course. No doubt about that. But he would have to find a way to do it gently.

He had no intention of causing any drama or complications which would only end up distracting him from soccer. Maybe he should put the whole blame on himself and his playboy ways. That would work.

Cam nodded, satisfied with his plan and turned his head towards Chris.

"Dude, did you get anything?"

Chris grinned."Course I did. Didn't expect me to survive on the school punch, did you?" He discreetly took out a flask and placed it under the table.

"Good. I wouldn't have lasted through this shitty dance otherwise. I'll go get some punch" he said getting up from his seat. Chris smiled knowingly and turned his attention the Dylan, who was sitting next to him.

"Cam planning on getting drunk again?" she asked knowingly.

He nodded. "You know how much he hates these school events."

She sighed. "I thought it'd be different now that he has Claire." She looked at Claire who was sitting alone staring wistfully at the dance floor. She looked uncomfortable surrounded by couples.

Dylan felt sorry for her. It wasn't her fault her boyfriend was behaving like an ass. "Hey Claire, wanna dance with me?" she shouted trying to make herself heard over the music.

Claire nodded, smiling gratefully. She pushed her chair back and stood up.

Dylan turned towards Chris. "I'll be back okay?"

He gave a knowing chuckle."This is why I like you" he murmured.

She gave him a quick kiss and pushed her chair back, standing up.

She made her way over to Claire and grabbed her hand. "Come on, let's dance" and dragged her towards the dancing mass of people.

Across the table Kristen and Kemp sat silent next to each other, looking anywhere but at each other, a surprising change for both of them.

"So, you…umm…look really pretty tonight" Kemp finally said.

Kristen turned her head to see the boy whom she was hopelessly in love with, but who would never see her as anything more than friends and smiled shyly.

"Thanks. You look great too". He looked better than great, truth be told, but then he could have worn a ratty t-shirt and sweats and still looked amazing to her.

"Do you wanna go outside? I can barely hear us talking in here."

She nodded and quickly stood up, pushing her chair. Kemp offered her his hand and they made their way towards the large double doors leading onto a huge balcony. As they walked, Kemp could see other guys blatantly ogling her, their gaze seemingly fixated on her legs. She didn't seem to notice however. Kemp let go of her hand, placing it around her waist instead and pulled her closer towards him, clearly letting them know exactly whom she was with.

The air outside was pleasantly cool, a welcome change from the overwhelming stuffiness inside. As she looked over the edge of the balcony, Kristen could see bright lights coming from the houses or apartments, dotting the otherwise dark expanse. The night sky was a vast expanse of stark blue-black with a few lone stars peeking shyly. She took in the whole view oblivious to Kemp's discomfort next to her.

Kemp couldn't understand as he stared at his closest friend why he found himself at a loss for words. This sort of thing never happened to him. After all, after Cam, Kemp Hurley was THE ladies man. He considered himself to be witty, charming and never without a come-back.

Plus this was Kristen for God's sake! His best friend since third grade. The only girl who could knew about all his shit and still stand next to him. Who had stayed up with him all night when his parents had decided to divorce. Who had kicked his ass countless times in soccer (although he would die rather than admit it to anyone.) Who knew him a thousand times better than any of his guy friends. And lately the girl about whom he had been having decidedly non-friendly thoughts about. He found himself wondering more and more about how it would feel like, to kiss her lips, to hold her close, to be the last thing she thought of before sleeping and the first thing when she woke up.

He didn't know what he had expected to happen when he had asked her but looking at her right now, he was sure as hell glad he had.

"Kristen"-he cleared his throat-"I-uh-I mean, you know I asked you as a friend and everything"-There it was again. Friend. Kristen had come to hate that word now. That's all she was ever going to be. Why she had thought that he might like her, when he had asked her out instead of his ditzy sluts was beyond her. It was so embarrassingly clichéd of her to fall for the best friend/womanizer but it wasn't like she could help it. Might as well star in my own fucking teen movie, she thought wryly.

She gave a bitter smile and nodded."Kemp, I know you asked me because I'm your best friend. I know you don't like me like that. It's cool."

He frantically shook his head. She was totally taking this the wrong way."No!...I mean that's not what I meant. What I wanted to say was…I-uh-I like you!"He blurted out.

"I like you." He continued feeling more sure of himself now."I have for quite a while. I don't know if you feel the same way but I was hoping you'd sort of like to go out with me." He finished looking at her stunned face.

She stared at him for a long time. "Lemme get this straight. You. Like. Me?" she slowly asked in a disbelieving voice.

He nodded."Yep."

"And you want to be my"-she swallowed-"boyfriend?"

"That's about it. Yeah."

She started laughing."Seriously? Kemp you havent had a girlfriend since freaking eigth grade! Remember? You didn't want to 'limit your hotness to one girl' and all that?"

"Yeah. But that's because I never liked someone the way I feel about you."-He paused-"Did that sound as dumb as I thought it did?"

She nodded and started giggling again. It was kind of ironic in a way that the moment she had waited for so long had finally arrived but she knew that he didn't mean any of it. It was probably a stupid prank on his part and all she could do was giggle like an idiot and not burst into tears at the supreme unfairness of life and-

He was kissing her. HE was kissing HER. Somehow, in the midst of her laughter, his lips and found hers and were slowly coaxing her. His lips were just as soft and perfect as she had imagined. She was so stunned by this realization that she didn't even notice that he had pulled back and was looking at her apprehensively, trying to gauge her reaction.

"You're not gonna laugh again, are you?" he asked nervously.

She looked at him, stunned."You kissed me."

He shrugged. "Yeah. You were scaring me with the laughing and I had to shut you up somehow."

"You kissed me." She repeated again. She seemed incapable of doing anything other than echoing sentences.

"Yeeaah?"

A new thought came into his mind."Was it that bad?" he asked worriedly. He had kissed plenty of girls. Surely he couldn't be _that _bad at kissing.

She looked at him, a wide smile forming on her face."Oh, you total dumbass." And pulled him down, latching her lips on his again with no intention of ever letting go.

x-x-x

Massie Block looked around the table, like a queen surveying her subjects, her amber eyes missing nothing. Kemp and Kristen had returned back inside and kept sharing smiles and talking softly to each other not noticing anyone else around them. She smiled approvingly. Yes, they would make a good couple. Alicia and Josh had already disappeared Gawd-knows-where like they always did. Across from her, Chris sat alone playing games on his cell-phone. Cam was nowhere to be seen.

Just then, Dylan and Claire returned, flushed from the dancing and the heat.

"Phew! My feet will never forgive me for this" Claire exclaimed plopping down on her seat as she let out a breath.

Dylan sat next to Chris similarly exhausted.

Just then, a slow song started playing over the speakers. Couples paired off and started slowly swaying to the music as the lights dimmed.

"I think you at least owe me one dance Marvil" Chris joked dragging her to the center of the room.

Massie watched them for a minute as they slowly swayed to the music, wrapped up in each other's arms. They looked every bit the young couple in love.

"Hey babe, you feel like joining them?" Derrick whispered in her ear.

She looked at him and nodded, smiling at the way he seemed to read her mind perfectly. They made their way to the centre and joined the other couples.

Claire did not fail to notice how people moved away as Massie and Derrick danced, giving them space while staring at them with a mixture of awe and jealousy. She looked around the room. She hadn't seen Cam at all since they entered the ball-room.

She took a gulp from the vodka Chris had handed everyone earlier, finishing it in one go and surreptitiously poured herself another glass. She knew she was drinking more than what she normally drank but she didn't care. After all, she would need all the alcohol tonight to follow through with her plan.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spied Cam near the table where the punch was kept. Two girls dressed in tight matching minidresses, one blue and one pink, stood next to him talking and giggling.

Claire watched as the one in the pink dress, a blonde named Olivia, whom she recognized from her classes as the girl who kept glaring at her, ran her hand down his arms and whispered something in his ear. Cam smirked at the girl and quickly shook his head. Olivia pouted and came closer placing her hand on his chest.

All at once jealousy flared up inside Claire. Who did this girl think she was flirting with _her_ boyfriend like some skank? She quickly downed the rest of her drink and stood up, stumbling a little as she made her way towards them.

"Cammy you look toe-dally hawt tonight", Olivia purred, giving him a wink.

Her friend, standing next to her nodded dutifully."Like, totally you do."

"Thank you ladies. You look exceptional yourselves. Very classy." Or as classy as a wannabe hooker can get, he thought as he smiled smoothly at them.

Olivia beamed at him, nearly blinding him with her unnaturally white teeth and placed her hand on his arm, her manicured nails digging into his tux.

"Why don't you come over to my place tonight? My parents are out" she whispered raising her eyebrow seductively.

"Maybe some other time" he quickly answered removing her hand from his arm, flashing her a charming smile.

Her too-pink lips turned into a pout."Why nawt Cammy? You always used to come over before." She shifted closer to him until she was centimeters away from his face. "Don't tell me it's because of _her."_

Cam cleared his throat and took a step back. He opened his mouth to say something when a voice behind cut him off.

"And what exactly do you mean by that?"

He looked behind to see Claire standing there, her hands on her hips glaring at Olivia.

A smirk appeared on Olivia's face as she took in the other girls face. " Nothing at all. I was just talking to my good friend Cammy-boy here." She shrugged with a faux-innocent smile on her face.

"Claire I was just looking for you." Cam interrupted trying to stop what was surely going to be a cat-fight.

To his surprise, Claire paid no any attention to him, barely acknowledging him with a quick smile. She turned to face Olivia.

"What the hell were you doing with my boyfriend right now?" She demanded, her voice coming out shakier than she would have liked. God, she really was drunk.

"Me?"Olivia raised her eyebrows in surprise."Get over it. We were just talking. You're just being a little paranoid." She added giving her a smirk.

"I am not paranoid! I saw what you were doing. You were totally flirting with him!"

Olivia's lips curled into a mocking smile." My my, someone sounds a teeny bit insecure now. What's the matter Claire? Not sure whether you'll be able to keep Cammy-boy for long?"

Claire glared at her not letting Olivia know exactly how close had she been to the mark.

"No! It's just because you're a skank who can only get a guy by stealing other girls boyfriends!"

Olivia scowled. "Watch whom you're calling a skank, you bitch" she hissed. "You may think you're some little saint but trust me, I'm not falling for it. I can see right through your goody-two-shoes act, even if no one else can."

Claire laughed derisively. "Yeah just like everyone can obviously see right through your dress. I don't think Cam will go for a person with fake-boobs."

Instantly she clapped her mouth in horror. What the hell had she just said?

Next to her Cam looked at her, his mouth hanging open in shock. Was this really his meek, shy girlfriend standing next to him?

Olivia's face transformed into one of pure anger now as she took a step towards Claire.

"You will pay for what you said, slut. Cam may pretend to like you but we all know hes never gonna be yours. He is mine! Got that? So why don't you just take your good-girl ass and get the hell out of here or else-"

"You really don't wanna finish that sentence Duh-livia" a voice interjected.

She whirled back to see Massie standing behind her, arms crossed and a look of pure disdain on her face.

"Oh look. Its _Massie Block_, alpha of the oh-so-amazing Pretty Committee", she sneered. "I didn't know you accepted nobodies like Kuh-laire in your pathetic little group."

"Yeah you would know all about being pathetic wouldn't you? I see you got a new member in your LBR club", she said gesturing at a cowering Strawberry who looked like she'd rather be anywhere but here.

Olivia glared at her. "Stay out of this Massie. This is between me and Claire-"

"Not really. You see, Claire is _my_ friend and I don't like it when LBR's like you insult my friends. So unless you want everyone in the school knowing exactly how you passed that English final, I suggest you leave and stop lusting after Cam. Trust me I have pictures." Massie added grinning wickedly.

Olivia's face paled at Massie's, speechless for once. She glared at Massie and Claire one last time, shot a simpering smile towards Cam and stalked off, a scared Strawberry following after her.

Claire looked at Massie curiously. "What did you mean by the English final? How did she pass it?"

Massie shrugged. "Oh that. Well dear Olivia slept with Mr. Jackson and managed to pass with a B+ without doing a single assignment all year. She couldn't have been that good though. I mean he only gave her a B+" she added thoughtfully.

Claire wrinkled her nose. "Ew. Just ew." She said as Cam and Massie laughed at her disgusted expression.

"Well, my work here is done. I can see Derrick calling me. Later guys." Saying this Massie gave them a little wave and walked away.

Cam looked at Claire closely trying to figure out whether Olivia's words had had any effect on her.

"Hey. Are you sure you're ok? "

She looked up to see Cam looking at her with a surprisingly concerned expression on his face and nodded.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Don't worry about what Olivia said. She's always been a bitch." He said giving her a reassuring smile.

Her smile faded at the mention of Olivia. Although she would never admit it, Olivia had managed to find her deepest fears and throw it in her face. Yes, she was scared that any day Cam might find someone better, someone more mature and grow tired of her. That was part of the reason why she was so adamant on having sex with him. Maybe that was what their relationship needed, so that she would finally feel like his equal and not like some love-struck girl in awe of her boyfriend. Not that she felt like that now.

"Yeah I know. You know what? I'm bored. Let's get out of here, go someplace maybe more private?" she said boldly ignoring the loud thumping of her heart.

He looked at her wide, slightly unfocused eyes and flushed cheeks. "Are you sure you wanna do this?" She was obviously plastered by now. As badly as he wanted to win the bet, he didn't want to take advantage of her in her drunken state. It didn't seem _right._

She nodded somewhat determinedly.

Well screw right then. If she was willing then there was no way in hell he was gonna _refuse_.

"I'll go get our coats. Meet me outside k?" he said and lightly pecked her on the lips before making his way through the room.

She let out a huge breath. This was it. He was going to get their coats, they would say their goodbyes and drive back to her house (her parents were out of town), up to her room where she would finally renounce her status as a virgin.

Ah screw it. She had practically asked him to have sex with her now. No point in worrying over it, she reasoned as she took a large gulp from the glass Cam had left behind. The alcohol burned down her throat, making her more light-headed then before.

She saw Cam walking towards her with their coats in hand and suddenly it felt like her life was on fast-forward. Before she knew it, they had said their good-byes and were walking out of the hotel into the chilly night towards the parking lot.

Now, they were in a car. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered whose car it was since they'd obviously arrived in the limo. However, considering the kind of situation she was in, she didn't think too much about it. She opened the door and sat in the passenger seat, as Cam put the car in reverse backing it out of the parking spot. She dimly recognized a Jimmy Eat World song playing softly in the background.

The air crackled with tension, so palpable that you could almost slice it with a knife. Her senses were on a high-alert now, the effects of the alcohol were quickly wearing down, with every move, every touch seeming more enhanced. The way her skin tingled when their hands brushed when they both reached to turn down the volume, the way he kept a hand on her thigh, unconsciously tracing tiny circles making her whole leg flame up. She noticed the way he fidgeted constantly rubbing the back of his neck, giving tiny awkward coughs which seemed the only noise coming.

Suddenly they had reached her home. He was pulling into the drive way now. She opened the door and got out, leading him into her house and up to her room. He followed her, breathing hard at the thought of what was to come.

They were in her room now. She shut the door and turned around and looked at him, uncertain as to what she should do next. They stared at each other for a moment.

Then suddenly she was pressed against the wall and he was kissing her hungrily. His lips moving from her lips, to her jaw bone, trailing butterfly kisses down her neck and moving back to her lips again. She was so caught up in the moment, in that heady feeling he always managed to give her that she could hardly breathe. Not like it mattered. Breathing was secondary to what she was feeling now.

Before she knew it, he was unzipping her dress, letting it gather around her ankles and she was tugging at his shirt pulling it over his head all the time kissing each other everywhere. They broke apart for a second panting slightly, looking at each other. Cam tilted his head in the direction of the bed and she nodded hesitatingly.

"Don't worry. I won't hurt you," he whispered in her ear, pulling her down giving her a long kiss, and like the fool she was, she believed him.


	8. Chapter 8

AN:Ugh, I finally finished it!

On another note, I'm looking for a beta to help me with grammar and brainstorming. Let me know if you know somebody. Thanks!

Ok, read on now.

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><p><em>When a heart break, no it don't break even<em>

-The Script, Breakeven

The first rays of the morning sun pierced through the blinds covering the huge windows hitting him straight in the face.

If anyone had happened to glance at his face just a few seconds before, they would laughed disbelievingly at the claims that this gorgeous, peaceful face with a contented little smile playing on his lips belonged to a cold heartless son of a bitch.

Cam stirred slightly as the light fell on his face and blearily opened his eyes. He looked around confusedly at his unfamiliar surroundings (He didn't remember ever owning a pink stuffed bear) before his gaze fell on a particular female sleeping next to him, soft blonde hair surrounding her face like a halo, blissfully unaware of the rest of the world, and the memory of last night came rushing back to him.

As his mind replayed the events of the previous night, a victorious smirk appeared on his face. Damn, for someone who was supposed to be a virgin, she sure had been fantastic.

He rummaged through his clothes, which were lying on the floor until he finally found it: His cell phone. He scrolled down the contacts list until he came upon Josh's name. Quickly selecting it, he typed five simple words which caused him to smirk broadly again_. Pay up bitch, I won_.

Josh was going to shit after reading that. No one expected Claire, who was so frigging saintly that it was frankly ridiculous, to fall for Cam of all people.

He felt her stirring next to him and quickly jumped up, not relishing the idea of talking to her. She'd probably go on and on about what this signified for their relationship. Hell, she might even think they were in love.

Love. Cam snorted.

What a big fat joke.

In all his sixteen years of life, he had never come across anyone truly in love, which had led him to make the conclusion that it did not exist at all. It was just an illusion people lived in because they were afraid of being alone.

Even if it did exist, Claire was definitely the last person he would ever fall in love with.

He quickly put on his clothes and exited the room, closing the door softly behind him. The house was eerily quiet. Thank god her parents were out of town; otherwise they surely would have had some questions about the noises last night.

As soon as he got out of the front door, the bright light hit his eyes.

"Fuck" he cursed as he walked quickly to his car trying to ignore the constant pounding in his head.

He backed out of the driveway and started driving towards his home, when his phone vibrated. It was a text from Josh. He almost laughed when he read it: _You have GOT to be kidding me!_

Seeing the look on Josh's face was the only reason he was not bailing on school tomorrow. He did not enjoy the idea of breaking up with Claire. It would be messy, time-consuming and knowing Claire, extremely tearful.

* * *

><p>Claire gave a wide yawn as she sleepily opened her eyes. She frowned, as she saw the time on the alarm-clock next to her bed. 10:50.<p>

Hmm, she usually didn't remember waking up this late. She idly wondered what could have happened, when it came rushing back to her causing her to bolt out of the bed.

She had had sex with Cam and it had felt good, great even. Claire smiled as the memory of last night played through her head. She was glad her first time had been with someone as experienced as Cam. Having him guide her and keep her from freaking out was definitely better than being with someone who would probably have been as nervous and stumbling as her.

Speaking of Cam, she turned around to see the other side of the bed disappointingly empty. She had hoped he would have been there in the morning, so that they could have at least talked about what had happened. He hadn't left any note or a text or anything either. _He probably must have had a reason_, she thought and decided to call him later in the day.

_The number you have called is not available. If you would like to leave a mess_- Claire sighed and shut the phone. That was the fifth time she had tried calling him. _Where the heck is he?_ She wondered.

He hadn't replied to any of her texts either. She wasn't a relationship expert but even she knew it was pretty weird for a couple to go a whole day without talking immediately after having sex for the first time. She vaguely remembered him saying that Sundays were Family Days but surely he could pick up a phone call. Maybe he was just feeling shy or something, she reasoned.

Oh well, she'd probably meet him in school tomorrow anyway.

* * *

><p>Claire quickly walked through the long corridor which led to the locker-rooms. Cam had football practice early in the morning and she hoped to meet him and spend some time with him before school started. She slowed down as she reached the door, hearing voices inside.<p>

"Dude, I still can't believe you actually managed to do it" She heard a guy ( possibly Josh) say.

She smiled when she heard Cam's voice respond.

"Pshaw, I'm just shocked you doubted me. Not only did I have the best weekend ever-"Claire smiled widely"-but you also owe me box-seats for the whole season! Bet you're regretting the bet now."

She frowned. What was the bet they were talking about? Cam had never told her anything about a bet.

"Oh come on, no one expected Claire to actually say yes , forget agreeing to sleep with you. Don't know how the hell you managed to trick her dude. So how was she?"

_Trick her?_ A cold sinking feeling spread in her body. She pressed closer to the door, half-dreading half-curious about what she was going to hear.

"Not bad, but definitely not the best I've had. She was so friggin' clingy. Always trying to find me, calling me, texting me. Ugh! It was mental. So glad it's finally over man."

Someone snorted. "Yeah, and I bet half the girl population is real happy 'bout it too, 'specially that chick, Olivia."

She felt tears pricking at the back of her eyes. She couldn't breathe. Her heart felt as heavy as thousand tons of lead. Her mind kept repeating his words, as if on an infinite loop.

_so glad it's over_….._ friggin' clingy_…._definitely not the best I've had…_

She didn't want to hear the rest of the conversation. She wanted to get away, to go far far away from this place, from him, from everyone in the whole world. But she couldn't move. Her feet seemed to be planted in the ground. Her whole being was in a state of shock.

So she just stood there, all alone in the middle of the corridor, tears streaming down her face which was flushed with anger, embarrassment and a whole pot-pourri of other feelings that she didn't care enough to recognize.

She heard the door open and the guys come out, laughing, talking, slapping each other. She could hear Cam laughing loudly. He stopped short when he saw her tear-stained face and his smile died on his lips.

She had heard it all. Well, fuck.

It seemed like time literally stopped when their eyes met. The whole world seemed eerily silent. No one said anything for a couple of seconds.

She could hear someone whispering, she could see all the guys looking at her, some with pity, some with anticipation of the drama about to occur, some openly leering at her but the one person who she really wanted to see didn't even have the fucking guts to look at her.

"Is it true?" she asked quietly.

Cam sighed. This was not supposed to happen. Why the hell was she so early anyway?

"Claire, let's not do this here. Let's go somewhere private."

"Do not fucking tell me what to do." She replied seething, anger quickly replacing any other emotion.

He sighed again. He looked at Josh and quickly jerked his head sideways. Within seconds Josh was leading all the guys away, not before giving her an apologetic-guilty look that she barely registered.

They were alone now_. _Cam could clearly see the shock, anger, hurt at his betrayal.

_Might as well get this over with_, he thought.

"Look Claire, it's complicated. The first day you came to school, Josh made a bet with me that you would never sleep with me. He said you seemed too nice and innocent to ever agree to something like that. So I took the bet. I flirted with you, charmed you, and dated you all so you could finally sleep with me. That's the real truth okay? I'm not gonna insult you with any lies here."

"Oh considering you didn't give a damn insulting me in every other possible way, excuse me if I don't buy that," she snapped.

Cam didn't say anything. He just kept steadily staring at the ground wishing he could be anywhere but here. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever imagines that it would end like this. She wasn't supposed to find out, for fuck's sakes!

Looking at him, Claire suddenly felt defeated, like all the fight had escaped her. A small part of her had been hoping that maybe he had been lying. Maybe he had just said that to the guys so they wouldn't make fun of him, maybe it was all just a horrible joke or a bad dream and she would wake up with Cam still next to her after their wonderful night together.

Oh god, just thinking about it made her cry harder. She had trusted him, she had had sex with him, she had even thought that she might be in love with him and all this was just a stupid bet for him? That's all it was?

He had lied to her and betrayed her trust from the very second she had met him and like the gullible stupid, stupid fool she was, she had believed him. She completely broke down as the thoughts whirled around in her head. There she was, all her defenses stripped away, completely vulnerable, crying her whole heart out.

Cam looked at her for the first time in the entire conversation. Just looking at her, standing there, so torn and pitiful and he began to feel slightly guilty.

"Look Claire, this wasn't your fault. I'm just not a relationship kinda guy okay? You didn't do anything wrong. It was only a stupid bet and you were in the middle of it."

"How many people knew?" She asked suddenly.

"Wh-What?"

"How many people knew that it was all a complete lie? A big fat joke?"

He winced, mentally debating whether to tell her or not, but decided to tell her the truth. God knows, she had been lied to enough already.

"Well, umm, me and Josh obviously and uh Derrick, Chris, Kemp and some of the other guys", he mumbled.

That meant Massie and the other girls knew it too. They all knew. Every single one of them. She had hung out with them, started thinking of them as her friends and all the while they had known exactly how it was going to end. Suddenly she felt sick. The sheer hurt, embarrassment and anger over this whole situation just hit her like a train. She started walking away from him, desperate to get as fast away as possible.

"Claire, wait!" Cam called out after her. He was hoping she wouldn't do something crazy.

She turned around and looked at him with the coldest stare he had ever experienced. He could feel his whole body stiffening.

"Don't ever talk to me again." She said quietly and quickly turned around walking away from him.

Cam looked at her receding figure for a minute before slowly walking away, shaking his head. What a wonderful way to start the week.

Claire stumbled towards her car, her tears blocking her vision. She just wanted to go home and stay locked up in her room, possibly forever. She didn't know how she was going to be able to face the Pretty Committee or anybody else after this. By now, the story must have spread throughout the school. She had just managed to locate her keys when she heard a noise.

It was Alicia laughing. Oh crap. That must mean the rest of them were around too. Sure enough, within a second she could hear footsteps approaching her. She hurriedly tried to get inside the car before they noticed her but-

"Hey Claire!"

Claire groaned. Alicia's perky voice was seriously the last thing she needed right now.

"Hey" she mumbled inaudibly, not looking up.

Alicia's expression morphed into one of concern when she saw Claire's tear-streaked face.

"OMG, what happened? Are you okay?"

By then the rest of the Pretty Committee had also made their way towards her.

"Are you okay?"

"What's wrong?"

"Did Cam do something?"

Claire's blood boiled at her words. How dare they pretend to be concerned about her? How dare they act like everything was normal? She had considered them her friends and all along, she was just a joke to them. An _experiment._

"Don't you dare ask me that" she said coldly.

Kristen looked confused."Claire, what is wrong wi-"

"What is wrong? _What is wrong_? You _knew_. All of you knew. You knew he was just playing with me. You knew it wasn't real. But nobody told me. Not a single one of you. I thought of you as my _friends_! And you just played along with his stupid bet! Why? What had I ever done to you?"

"Claire, honestly I have no idea what you're talking about. What's wrong? Is it Cam?" Massie asked looking at her, worry filling her amber eyes.

Her heart twisted at the mention of his name. "You don't need to pretend anymore. I know all about the bet. It's over." She said, too exhausted to even sound angry.

"What bet do you keep talking about? What is going on? I'm not understanding anything!" Massie literally yelled out.

Her patience was quickly receding and the urge to get away from everyone was overpowering, so she decided to just get it over with.

"Josh made a bet with Cam that I would never sleep with him and that's the only reason he dated me." She stated bluntly.

"WHAT?" They all looked at her with identical expressions of shock and pity.

Looking at their faces laced with only concern and surprise, she began to doubt whether they had actually known about it beforehand.

"Ohmigosh Claire, I'm so sorry."

"I didn't know anything about this, I swear."

"Shit, how could he do that to you? What a jerk!"

Apologies and comforting words surrounded her from all the sides, but she barely heard them. Nothing they said could make anything better now.

"Whatever, I'm just gonna go home" she mumbled, making a move towards her car.

Massie gently placed a hand on her arm. "We'll come with you. Claire honey, I know you feel awful right now but don't worry, things will get better. Trust me."

Claire nodded even though she secretly doubted that. And the following weeks would prove exactly how wrong Massie's words had been.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thank you to Vintage Strawberries for being considerate about my academics. :D Also thank you to all the readers who PM'd me. You guys are the only reason I was motivated to make time for this story.

On a different matter, I was wondering whether I should change the rating to M. What do you think?

Anyways, Read and Review as always.

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><p><em>It started with a whisper<br>And that was when I kissed her  
>And then she made my lips hurt<br>I could hear the chit chat  
>Take me to your love shack<br>Mamas always gotta back track  
>And everybody talks big<em>

_-Everybody Talks, Neon Trees_

_Just ignore them. Just ignore them._ Claire chanted in her mind as she hurried towards her next class doing her best to avoid the looks and whispers that seemed to follow her wherever she went these days.

It was a Wednesday, exactly two days after her shock break-up with Cam and to say that the news had spread like wildfire was a gross understatement.

"Hey Claire, is it true that you and Cam broke up because he was only with you for a bet?"

Claire looked up to see Diane Grahams, a short slightly plump brunette and the resident gossip shouting loudly as she stared at her with expectant eyes that gleamed in the anticipation of first-hand information while her braces nearly blinded Claire with her wide smile.

The rest of the population in the corridor, usually loud and in a hurry, slowed down to a halt, gathering around the duo. The only sound audible was the excited whispers from the crowd as they eagerly waited for her response.

Claire stood still for a moment, mentally debating whether to answer or escape. She sneaked a look at the crowd and saw their expressions-a cross between curiosity and amusement.

Escape it is.

"Um, I gotta get to class" she managed to mumble and pushed through the crowds, nearly sprinting in her attempt to escape.

The sad part was that this wasn't even the first time she had been asked such a question. The first time it had happened she had just stood there dumbly looking at Allie-Rose Singer like a deer caught in the headlights before Massie and Alicia had arrived and dragged her away. It seemed as though the entire population of OCD had suddenly focused their hard-to-get attention on her. Her break-up with the only single heartthrob of the school had garnered as much attention as a Kardashian feud. She wasn't stupid. She had expected such a situation and resigned herself to the fact that her life would be under close scrutiny and FBI-esque questioning for the next few weeks. Or at least until Lana Sanderson got another pregnancy scare.

What she hadn't expected was the antagonism and barely concealed glee at her plight that practically radiated from everyone she talked to.

It seemed as though the entire student body had taken her break-up as an excuse to mock the Pretty Committee. Her easy acceptance into a group that they had for years yearned to be included in had not gone unnoticed by anyone except probably her. Massie, Alicia and the rest had taken years in cementing their positions as the undisputed social queens and had earned the grudging respect (and fear) of the people. However the fact that Claire, a 'newbie' had not only managed to get into the coveted group but also snagged a popular guy, without doing anything, was something they could not stomach. She had remained blissfully oblivious to the envy and resentment of everyone until now.

The fact that a member of the 'elite group' could also go through something as painfully normal as a break-up had served as a wake-up call to the rest and reminded them that even the members of the Pretty Committee were ordinary people, albeit extremely lucky and privileged ones, but ordinary nonetheless. And they had taken out their hidden envy and frustration on Claire by taking sheer delight in humiliating her whenever they could.

Of course Claire didn't know all of that as she stumbled into a deserted bathroom, just as tears were forming in her eyes, mentally preparing to ditch her third class of the week. She rushed to the nearest cubicle, slammed the door close and slid down against the wall, sobbing silently.

It wasn't exactly the break-up she was crying about. Hell, she shouldn't have been crying about it at all. So what if her first relationship had been with a Class-A jerk? Plenty of people went through that and turned out just fine. And even though she couldn't stop her heart from twisting every time she saw his face or heard his name, she knew she would be fine in the end.

No it was absolute heartlessness and _apathy_ of the people that had her sobbing in the bathroom while she should have been in AP Calculus.

She had known that high school was not a place for saints, had understood that this was the time when everybody was eager to establish their position, their authority and would easily stamp over another person without so much as a second glance. She had known that after an entire life-time of homeschooling, a public high school with other people her age was not a place for the weak.

But still, a little kindness would have been greatly appreciated. Couldn't they just leave her alone? Didn't they understand that no, she was not okay with answering a bazillion questions about her life every day? And why, oh why did they look so delighted when she refused to answer?

It seemed as though the Pretty Committee were her only friends right now. Not that she had been Miss Social before this but still.

Even the guys refused to talk to her. Derrick, Josh and the others mainly avoided her because they felt too guilty and ashamed. And the only time the other guys talked to her was to ask her for a hook-up, and they too promptly left when she wholeheartedly refused.

Surprisingly the man in question, Cam, her partner-in-crime so to speak was suspiciously missing from conversation these days. It seemed slightly unfair to Claire that she was the one who had to go through the whole drama while no one so much as talked about him. He seemed to have hidden himself in soccer, academics and a select group of friends. She hardly ever saw him in school anymore, a fact she was profusely thankful for.

Such thoughts ran through her mind as she cried her heart out at the sheer unfairness of life, when she heard the bathroom door opening and the sound of animated chatter as other fellow-ditchers like her entered. She debated leaving her sanctuary but decided against it when she realized that meant she would have to show herself to the other girls. She leaned her head against the wall of the cubicle, mentally resigning herself to wait in there while they left when she had one of them say something that instantly caught her attention.

"…apparently she was like, crying the whole time and freaking out while they were doing it and Cam was like _so_ worried for her that he told her he was gonna wait until she was ready."

"That is so sweet! So what happened then Olivia?" another girl squealed.

"Well, then she got like really insulted that he wouldn't ,you know, do _it_ with her so she like totally started that rumor about how he used her and stuff. It's really not Cam's fault after all."

"That is so _heartless_. Ugh, poor Cam. But how do you know about this anyway?" A third voice asked curiously.

"Duh, Cam told me. We're like _this_ close, I _told_ you that Allie. Gawd." Olivia sniffed and Claire could envision Olivia holding up her index finger and thumb to show their exact level of closeness.

She was shaking with anger as she heard Olivia's words and the simpering laughs of the other two girls. All the pent-up rage and frustration from the past week came rushing back and something in her snapped. She was not going to let them get away with this on top of everything else that had happened.

She stood up and squared her shoulders, preparing herself for the consequences of stepping out of the cubicle. She pushed the door open and made her way towards the sinks. It was Mindy, the third girl who was the only one facing Claire, who saw her first. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open for barely a second before she gasped and grabbed Olivia's arm, who was still cackling with her back turned to Claire. She turned around and her pencil-severe eyebrows rose for a millisecond before her thin lips curved into a smile.

"Hey Claire, we were just talking about you! Who would have ever guessed you'd be hiding in there?" she laughed lightly, placing a bony, bracelet-clad arm on her chest.

Behind her Allie and Mindy looked at her a little nervously even as they laughed along with Olivia.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that. You're a liar." She said looking straight at her.

Olivia blinked, obviously not expecting such a blunt reply."I have no idea what you're talking about."

She snorted."Of course you do. No one will believe you if you spread a rumor like that."

"Really? What makes you so sure about that? What, you think the pathetic Pretty Committee will come to protect their sweet angel again?"

"I don't need them to protect me." Claire snapped.

Olivia gave a fake laugh."But of course you do! You don't know the half of what people are telling you because those girls never let you hear it. You don't know how everyone thinks you're easy and a slut, or how much they despise you for stealing Cam, or how they believe you are secretly an alcoholic whack-job whose mother had to sleep with the Dean to even get you admission in this school. Hell some of them even believe you're a pathological liar and you probably made up this whole story to get attention."

Claire stared at her, stunned. "What? I didn't- That's ridiculous, no one could think that!" she exclaimed.

Olivia looked at her for a moment, almost thoughtfully. "You're right of course, no one believes that. But they just might, after I tell it to them."

"No one would believe it." She repeated."Cam knows the truth about what happened too. Everyone would rather believe his stories than your lies."

Olivia leaned forward."You seem to be putting a lot of faith in a guy who treated you in the worst possible way ever. Haven't you noticed Claire? Cam wants nothing to do this. I could probably start a rumor saying that you're pregnant with his child and he still wouldn't interfere."

Claire stayed silent, as she considered the truth of her words. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew there was a strong possibility that the events would turn out exactly how Olivia had predicted. What she didn't understand was why Olivia would go to such great lengths to make her life even more of a living hell then it already was.

She blinked all the bravado in her suddenly escaping. Her sole attempt at standing up for herself had clearly been a total failure.

"Why are you doing this to me? What have I ever done to you?"

Olivia glared at her, her eyes burning evilly."You ruined my whole life, you fool. I had everything planned out, _everything_. And you came along and messed it all up. And I. Will. Make. You. Pay." She jabbed her finger at Claire's face as she hissed out the last words and stalked out of the bathroom, Allie and Mindy following behind her.

Tears pricked at her eyelids and she furiously blinked them away. She was not going to cry dammit, not now. She was going to get through this. She was going to find a way to stop Olivia and she was going to be strong. She was not going to cr-dammit! Claire hastily wiped away the tears running down her cheeks when she saw the bathroom door open for the second time.

She almost cried out in relief when she saw that it wasn't Olivia but rather the concerned face of Dylan.

"Claire? I thought you'd be here. You weren't in class today. What happened?" Dylan asked as she rushed towards her.

She shook her head. "Nothing Dyl, I'm fine. Just didn't feel like coming to class today."

"OMG you're crying!" Dylan exclaimed as she saw the tear tracks glistening against Claire's pale face. " What happened, Claire?"

She sighed. "Nothing. Olivia was acting like…well _Olivia_."

"Look, don't worry about it okay? Well go meet up with Mass and shell sort it all out. Don't worry." Claire nodded and smiled faintly at the blind faith everyone seemed to have in Massie. She doubted even Massie could protect her from what was going to happen tomorrow.

* * *

><p>The next morning, as she dressed, Claire wondered why she was going to school anyways. Any sane person would have stayed well away from their scene of destruction. Ah well, maybe she just liked being masochistic.<p>

She parked her car and made her way towards the clump of trees behind the stairs leading towards the main door, the PC's meeting-place. No one seemed to be looking at her suspiciously, so at least she was safe for now she reckoned.

She hadn't been able to meet her friends at all yesterday except for Dylan so she hadn't had any chance to fill them in on what had happened. She had decided last night that she would tell them everything in the morning so that they could make up their minds whether to distance themselves from her or not. Plus a small part in her mind also hoped that Massie would pull some strings and get Olivia to stop her campaign.

It was a warm, sunny day, definitely not the weather for ruining lives. By the time Massie's Town Car arrived in the schools parking lot, she had methodically rearranged the books in her bag at least three times in an attempt to look busy. The four girls gracefully got out and hurried towards her.

"Hey! Sorry we're late. Someone had a wardrobe emergency" Massie rushed out pointedly staring at Alicia who flushed guiltily.

"Sorryyyy" she whined."You were the one who gave my outfit a seven."

Claire opened her mouth to say something but just then the bell rang and they all quickly went inside with quick farewells without giving her a chance to talk.

Claire slowly made her way towards her locker. But once she reached it, she stopped dead in her tracks.

The dark blue metal of her lockers was completely hidden under the colorful graffiti someone had very kindly sprayed. 'Loser', 'Retard', 'Slut' were only some of the words she could make out but she was pretty sure the others ran along the same lines. _So this is how it starts _she thought.

By now, other people had also noticed the defilation and gathered around waiting for her reaction.

And so it was, for the second time in one week, Claire found herself in the spotlight with a bunch of people eagerly eyeing her. She could see Diana Ayers, Olivia's latest lackey, smiling maliciously. For a moment she considered reporting the incident to the authorities but then realized it was to no avail. They wouldn't pay too much attention to it and plus she had heard that Diana's parents were pretty close to the Dean so there was no chance she would ever be caught.

The only thing important to Claire was getting the hell out of there as quickly as possible. She knew that if she stayed, someone would say something and she would end up in tears.

So she squared her shoulders and calmly walked towards the locker, ignoring her hummingbird heart. With an outwardly unruffled composure that surprised even her own self, she quickly took out her books and walked towards her class, not daring to look anyone in the eye. It was only after she had reached a sufficient distance away that she stopped and let out a long breath, her shoulders slumping. If this was only the beginning Claire wondered warily what was going to happen next.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day, or rather the week, went by pretty much in the same fashion. She would enter a class, choose a seat only to find everyone beside her getting up and moving away from her. Snide comments would be passed by people around her whenever she walked by. In Computer period, when she logged on to her computer, someone had photoshopped a very undesirable photo of her as the wall paper. Food spilling on her in the cafeteria became a daily occurrence. She couldn't even go home, because when she reached her car she found that someone had slashed her tires.<p>

Unfortunately, she didn't have that many classes with the PC members, so she was mostly forced to suffer also. Of course, the attacks lessened considerably in their presence but even Massie's constant threats and warnings couldn't stop them completely. It had come to the point where she was literally terrified of being away from Massie, Dylan and the others. They had become some sort of a shield protecting her from Olivia's wrath.

On Friday afternoon she returned home on the brink of tears. She entered the house sniffling slightly and was surprised to see her mother in dining room, sorting through a sheaf of papers while simultaneously berating someone on the phone. Mrs. Lyons smiled when she saw her daughter and motioned for her to sit down.

Claire dumped her bag and took the seat opposite her mother trying to blink back the tears that kept coming at the memory of the past week. She couldn't take it anymore. Olivia had drained away her entire strength. Even the image of her curved, taunting smile and raised eyebrows was enough to make her feel more exhausted.

Her mother concluded her phone call and looked at Claire concernedly. "Claire honey, are you alright?"

Claire looked up to see her mother looking at her with worried eyes. She forced a weak smile and nodded.

"Yeah I'm fine. I had a bad day, that's all."

"Alright then, that was Mrs. Sinclair on the phone. You remember her, don't you sweetie?"

She nodded, vaguely remembering her mother's tall, wiry, French colleague. "Yeah I do, what about her?"

The last thing she wanted to do was sit there and listen to her mother gossiping about all her friends. She had suffered a bad week already and the only thought running through her mind was her A&F sweatpants and the big comfy queen bed in her room.

"Well, her sister is the dean of this lovely boarding school in Lyon. Remember how you said you were going to live there because it matched your name? Anyways, so she was asking if I would like to enroll you there. I told her you seemed to be adjusting fine her, but you know how she feels about this _public schools_ so she told me to ask you anyways. So what do you think? "

She processed her mother's words for a few seconds and was immediately alert."Wait, you mean I would have to move all the way to France and go to a boarding school? What about you guys? Would you move too?"

"No. Your father's business seems to be doing well here and you know I can never stay too far from New York. Besides, you don't have to. It's purely your choice." Her mother added gently.

She considered the situation for a minute. Did she want to move? She had finally begun to settle here in Westchester. She had made pretty great friends and school seemed fi-And then it struck her.

If she said yes, it would mean getting away from Olivia and her blatant bullying. It would be a whole new start, away from manipulative girls, cheating boyfriends. Away from a student population that seemed to hate her. She would miss the Pretty Committee surely, but that seemed a small price to pay for the chance to start over again, didn't it?

She grinned, her mind already made. The opportunity couldn't have come at a better time. Perhaps there was a God after all.

_You won, Olivia, I hope you're happy now, _she thought. Voice shaking slightly, she replied "Mom, I would love to go."

* * *

><p>Another Authors Note: So this is the end of the story. Thank you for reading and reviewing this. You guys were great readers. I know most of you probably didn't expect this ending and it might be somewhat anti climatic but that's what happens in real-OK, OK I'm kidding. This is not the end. Far from it. In fact, the fun part is just starting!<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

What is this? An update? Why, yes it is! :D

Oh and I'm pretty sure I messed up the timeline a bit, so if it's weird just ignore it.

As always, R&R. :)

* * *

><p><em>"Welcome to the real world", she said to me<br>Condescendingly  
>Take a seat<br>Take your life  
>Plot it out in black and white<br>Well I never lived the dreams of the prom kings  
>And the drama queens<br>I'd like to think the best of me  
>Is still hiding<br>Up my sleeve_

_-No Such Thing, John Mayer_

* * *

><p><em>Unidentified amount of time later. Two weeks before the start of senior year.<em>

**Block Residence**

Massie Block gracefully reclined on the plush, white armchair holding a sleek, white, cordless in one hand on which she was softly talking to her boyfriend of one year, Derrick Harrington, and idly stroking Bean with another.

She gave a slight smile as Bean growled contently at her stroking and she couldn't help but think how adorable he looked in his little summer outfit, complete with a white cap and white doggie –shorts and of course those adorable sunglasses perched on his head . If there was anyone whom she liked to spoil more than herself, it was Bean.

"Uhuh, sure babe" she absentmindedly responded as Derrick's smooth, rich baritone lulled her into a reverie.

Her mind wandered as he talked, and she thought back to how quickly their relationship had progressed. They had grown a lot more comfortable during the summer and sometime during the warm, lazy days spent together, their relationship had grown from high-school flirtation to something much deeper, something, she thought that could even lead to love.

She wondered how much time they would get once senior year started. She knew she would have to work extremely hard if she wanted to get into Columbia and between that and maintaining her Alpha status she wouldn't have any time left for her personal life. Getting into Columbia had been a dream of hers for as long as she could remember and that was the only thing she wanted to achieve on her own merit, rather than using Daddy's bottomless pit of a bank account. It was the first step in achieving her ambition of becoming a TV reporter and she was determined to get in through her own hard work. Which was why, she had not regretted spending her entire summer with Derrick, even though she felt slightly guilty for ignoring her friends.

A knock at the door drew her out of her daydreaming and she looked up, with an irritated frown on her face, to see Inez standing there. She quickly disconnected the call, not before murmuring a hasty good-bye to Derrick and turned towards her.

"What is it, Inez?"

Inez flushed apologetically. "I'm sorry Ms. Block, but there's someone at the door for you."

Her previously irritated face morphed into one of curiosity at Inez's words. She wasn't really expecting anyone at the moment. Her friends would usually let her know before stopping by and plus, they were all busy at the moment. Dylan was still in Kenya doing the charity-crap with her mother, Alicia was supposed to return next week from Barcelona, she had just got off the phone with Derrington, and while Kristen was still here, she was busy preparing for some scholarship contest.

Her nose wrinkled as she mentally ran a ridiculously long list of people she knew to figure out who it could be and came up with nothing.

She looked at Inez, her interest piqued, and asked "Who is it?"

"A Ms. Claire Lyons" Inez replied.

x-x-x

Claire stepped out of the car and looked around her former neighborhood, breathing in the crisp New England air. Nothing seemed to have changed. The same affluent neighborhood with its ostentatious mansions, the sleek cars that lined the expansive drive-ways and the sense of elitism that permeated through the air.

She turned towards the uniformed chauffeur."Please take my bags inside and inform my mother that I will meet her in a while. There's something I need to do first."

The chauffeur nodded and she turned around, drinking in her surroundings.

It all seemed so calm, so serene.

Despite it being summer, the sun had just peeked out from the otherwise cloudy sky, and the muted sun rays hit the gray road, causing it to sparkle as though it were made out of diamonds. The strictly ordered shrubbery was lit up in various shades of green, and the dark, gleaming cars glinted in the sun against the shadows falling on the warm brick houses.

There was not a single person in sight, the sporadic chirping of birds being the only source of noise, and the whole scene looked like something out of a Decembrists song. Picture-perfect. It was hard to imagine, that this beautiful area housed some of the most scheming, manipulative, jealous people she had ever seen.

For the umpteenth time she found herself questioning whether she had done the right thing or not. Was it really all worth it, leaving the comfort and security that her boarding school had given her? Had she made another terrible mistake again?

She warmly thought back to the old-fashioned school buildings nestled deep within the south of France that had been her home for the past year. That place, its friendly, well-meaning people had given her a chance to truly shape up her personality and she would forever remain grateful to them. She knew that she was miles apart from the insecure, wallflower that she had been before, and she could seriously look back and laugh at how pathetically she had handled the entire situation. Those memories no longer affected her, her heart didn't turn cold anymore when she thought she saw that particular shade of blue or green in anyone's eyes. She had moved on now.

But still, she knew that just because she had put it behind her didn't mean the rest of the people had forgotten it too. People rarely forget such things, the rich even less. And that was why she had been hesitant to return to Westchester.

Her attempts at a new start would be severely tainted if the only thing people remembered when they looked at her was the mousey, naive girl who had been played by the best of the players.

She let out a deep breath. There was no point in over thinking now. She would handle that obstacle if and when the time came.

She adjusted her camel-colored cardigan, as a light breeze picked up and started walking towards the Block Residence, idly wondering what Massie's reaction would be at her sudden arrival.

x-x-x

The main characteristic of being an Alpha was to never lose your cool, never lose control of a situation and to always, _always_ have a plan.

Massie Block was a born Alpha, a born leader. She knew this better than anyone else. This was why, the only thing she disliked more than anything in the universe was a surprise. She hated surprises, hated not knowing what was going to happen and hated being caught off-guard and all her friends were abundantly aware of the fact. Her ill-fated thirteenth birthday 'surprise' had made that pretty clear.

Which was why, it was safe to say that the news that her friend was standing at her door-step after disappearing to God-fucking-knows-where for an entire year, had not put her into a good mood.

She gave a bland smile, while her mind worked furiously and turned towards Inez, who had been fidgeting nervously all this time.

"Call her up to my room."

She sank down into the chair, as Inez scurried away and tried to figure out whys, whats, wheres, and the whens that Claire's arrival had brought.

Maybe she was just coming for a visit, but no…she wouldn't do that so close to the end of the vacation. That meant she was either coming back for good, or that she had some serious business to take care of. If she was coming back, then that meant she would be completing her senior year at OCD…and that would mean another problem had come up.

Cam. And of course Olivia.

He had been relatively silent the whole year, focusing only on football and the occasional girl. While he had certainly not practiced anything even remotely close to abstinence, none of his activities had led to any sort of a scandal and he, as well as everybody else, seemed to have forgotten about the quiet, blonde who had caused a furor throughout the school.

After the first couple of weeks of boycotting, the guys had openly disregarded their girlfriends' threats and started hanging out with their former friend again. Eventually, the Pretty Committee had also developed a grudging acceptance of his existence and things seemed to have calmed down for the time being.

Olivia, though was a totally different thing. Not only had the Pretty Committee forbidden any form of contact with her and her groupies, except for the occasional insults, but Cam's inclusion at Dylan's sweet 17 and Olivia's obvious exclusion had pretty much sealed it in everyone's minds what the situation was.

But Massie had a very bad feeling that the temporary calm that had set in, was going to get a huge jolt at the arrival of Claire Lyons. She sighed. So much for her plan to focus on academics.

x-x-x

Claire walked up the long drive-way, her beat-up Chucks hitting the gravel, and made her way to the front door of the Block Residence. She rang the doorbell and smiled in recognition as Inez opened the door. Inez just smiled back politely, not recognizing her.

"I'm Claire Lyons. I'm here to visit Massie Block' she said.

Inez nodded and ushered her into the sitting-room and hurried up the stairs to call Massie. Claire sat down on the suede sofa and wondered if Massie's room was still as clinically white as she remembered it. She could remember her awe at her room, the first time she had come for a sleepover with the rest of the Pretty Committee. A wistful smile formed on her face as she thought about all the times they had spent together. She had missed them terribly. She wondered if they were still the same. Alicia with her ditzyness and her heart of gold, Dylan with her concerned face and her obsession with the latest diets, Kirsten, the perpetual worrywart and the shy look she got whenever she and Kemp had shared a moment, and Massie, strong, confident, always holding the group together. Sure she had some pretty severe rules and her punishments were harsh, but she always took care of her own. Like some kind of a lioness.

She wondered if they had missed her. She had tried to keep in touch and so had they but somehow life had gotten in the way. She wondered if they were still together with their boyfriends. If they were still the It Girls of the school. She snorted at the last thought. Of course they were. Hell would freeze over before Massie relinquished her position.

She wondered how her senior year would be like. If the Pretty Committee would accept her plan or just brush it off as some petty revenge. She had no idea what had happened during the past year. Hell for all she knew, maybe they hated her for leaving them all of a sudden with little to no contact. Maybe they didn't notice her absence after the first few days. Maybe they just hadn't cared. Her old insecurities, rusted with lack of use, suddenly came rushing back. They had probably been glad that the annoying wallflower had left.

A sudden thought struck her, what if Massie refused to acknowledge her presence in her house? Oh god oh god, what had she been thinking just springing up at her house like this with no prior warning or notice? Maybe she should just leave right now, without letting anyone know. It would save her the embarrassment.

Claire was close to panicking now. She had risen from the sofa in an attempt to discreetly exit the now-intimidating house, when Inez entered the room.

"Ms. Block will see you in her room now."

Her hunched shoulders visibly sagged for only a second, before her mind switched on high-alert. Just because she had not been unceremoniously thrown out didn't mean all was well. As she walked up the curved staircase, she willed her new-found confidence and surety to come back. Standing in front of an imposing Massie Block, while hyperventilating was hardly a good idea.

She reached up the staircase and walked towards the second door on the left, hoping her memory proved right. She cursed herself for not asking Inez which room it was.

She stood in front of the white door, and hesitantly knocked.

The door opened and she saw Massie looking at her with a slight enquiring look in her eyes, waiting for her to speak.

She squared her shoulders and gave what she hoped was a confident smile. _Here goes nothing._

"Hey Massie, missed me?"

x-x-x

Massie had debated over the proper way to greet Claire. Should she be intimidating and expect her to justify her presence? Or should she be blasé and greet her like she had been expecting this the whole time? Or should she be happy and excited that her former friend had come back?

She finally decided to combine blasé and intimidating. She would give her a chance to explain herself first, and then she would continue from there as though she had known about it all along. But she would not be too cold; otherwise Claire might just get a panic attack.

A knock sounded at the door. Massie rearranged her features in a slightly interested look and opened the door to see someone who was… definitely not Claire.

Her first thought was that Inez might have messed up the names. There was no way that the beautiful, self-assured woman standing in front of her was the same as the awe-struck, stuttering girl who she remembered.

But then the girl smiled, and a voice, that sounded distinctly like Claire said" Hey Massie, missed me?" and Massie immediately recognized her former friend's easy smile and the slightly hesitant look still there in her eyes.

She grinned and quickly hugged Claire, forgetting her calm persona for a second. She took a step back and surveyed her friend critically.

Claire looked good. Like, really good. Her once white-blonde, shoulder-length hair now had a more caramel tint to it and reached her mid-back. She had grown out of her bangs and they now framed her face, making her look older, more mature. Her blue eyes were perfectly lined with kohl and her eyebrows, perfectly plucked. Her lips shined with frosted lip-gloss and she had that permanently tanned look that only someone living in the south of France would get. She had gained some weight over the year, making her curvier rather than the stick-figure she had been. Someone had obviously given her some fashion advice as her simple white tank top, camel cardigan, and stone-grey jeans accentuated her body perfectly.

Massie's gaze went down and her nose immediately wrinkled in distaste as she saw the dusty, old Chucks. Apparently, no amount of fashion advice would detract Claire from her beloved sneakers.

"Ugh, look at those shoes. Now I have no problem believing it is really you." she said/

Claire laughed and stepped into the room. Nothing had changed.

Massie gestured towards her bed and she walked over and sat down at the edge, still a bit nervous.

Massie sat back in her reclining chair and fixed her eyes on Claire. Her happiness at seeing her friend again could wait until she had gotten a full idea of the situation.

"So, do you mind telling me why the hell have you come back and what you plan on doing?"

x-x-x

Claire flinched at Massie's sharp words and sighed internally. Not her ideal warm welcome, but it was better than nothing.

"I came back here to finish my senior year at OCD."

Massie smiled as though she had known this all along. "Why couldn't you just finish it in your boarding-school?"

"Um, OCD has better academics, and I missed my family and you guys too much."

Massie rolled her eyes. "You are a horrible bull-shitter Claire. Try again"

Claire winced. She should have known Massie would see through her excuse immediately. She just wasn't sure if it was the right time to spill her true reasons.

She looked up to see Massie's unflinching gaze fixed on her, and she could see a slight hint of concern through the glare. She looked down at her hands clenching and unclenching. The sooner she explained herself, the better.

"Because…" Claire faltered.

"I came back, because I wanted to have my revenge on Cam and Olivia." She finished in a rush.

Massie looked at her for a long moment and burst out laughing.

Claire looked up in surprise. She hadn't envisioned laughter as a possible reaction.

"Claire, please tell me you're joking."

"What? No, I'm serious. I want them to pay for what they did to me."

Massie stopped laughing abruptly.

"Ohmagod, don't tell me you still like him or something." That was one sticky situation she did not want to get in.

"What no! Of course not. It's a lot more complicated than that."

"Elaborate."

Claire took a deep breath.

"Look Massie, when I first came to OCD that was my first time in a normal school. And let's face it, I sucked horribly."

She laughed wryly.

"I didn't know how to act around people my own age and I sure as hell didn't know how ruthless it could get. So yeah, I agree that whatever happened, I also had a part in that. I was scared, eager to please and I thought it was true love. I didn't know what reality was and I was living in my own cracked-up fairy-tale."

"But then, you know, all the shit happened. Olivia made my life a living hell and I think I probably overreacted a bit too. "

Massie smiled in agreement. "Yes, moving to a different continent does seem a little bit extreme."

"Yes, but honestly, that was the best thing that could ever happen to me. I moved to France, went to a boarding school, and made new friends. And those people helped me Mass. They helped a lot. I became a lot more confident, less insecure. I grew up, and I learnt how it was to be a normal teenager, you know? I even dated a few guys and well, it didn't turn out so bad."

Massie snickered. "Yeah, I'm sure. Did you sleep with any of them?"

Claire blushed." Yeah, two of them."

Massie looked at her in surprise. "Wow, I would have never expected that from you."

"I know…I wouldn't have either. Basically, I have become a much better person now. I've grown up and my main reason for changing myself was that never wanted be as clueless about a situation as I was with Cam.

"And you know what, after doing all this, I realized one thing. That no matter how clingy and annoying I might have been as a girlfriend, no matter how naïve I might have acted, no matter how immature the bet was he had no right to treat me the way he treated. I don't give a fuck about the bet. It's over and done with and I probably should have seen it coming. What hurt more was how callous he was after I found out about it. He didn't even have the decency to feel sorry about it."

"I deserved a proper apology Mass. I deserved an adequate explanation. Forget that, I at least deserved to have someone back me up when Olivia started her 'hate-Claire' campaign."

"Both Cam and Olivia acted as though they didn't have an ounce of humanity within them and that is the reason I want them to pay. I am definitely not in love with him. I have moved on completely. But they need to know what it feels like when someone they care about treats them like absolute trash. They need to know how much it hurts." She ended calmly.

There was a long pause after Claire stopped talking. Massie was silent, and Claire was still fidgeting slightly. She felt much better now that she had explained herself fully.

Massie's brain was on overdrive. She had been impressed by Claire's explanation and she knew that Claire had made a pretty valid point. Someone did need to show Cam how to act like an actual human being, and she was never going to back away from a chance to take Olivia down a peg or two. If she and the rest of the PC did agree to this, then this was going to be a very very interesting year.

Finally Massie nodded and spoke up. "Okay, okay I believe you and I don't mind helping you."

Claire exhaled a breath she didn't know she had been holding and smiled gratefully.

"Thanks Massie, I wasn't sure whether you'd agree or not."

"Trust me, I wasn't planning on it. Let's just say your wide, hopeful eyes did it for me." She grinned.

Massie shifted and her whole demeanor suddenly became brisk and businesslike.

"So, I assume you don't have a plan as of now?"

Claire shook her head." I figured, I'd do the same thing he did to me. Make him fall for me and then humiliate him in front of the whole school." She ended with a wicked smile on her face.

Massie winced."Wow, that sounds kinda harsh don't you think?"

"No more harsh than what I got Mass. "Claire said evenly.

Massie looked thoughtful for a moment and then nodded her assent. "Fair enough. That's settled then. We'll wait till the rest of the PC comes back, which will be by Sunday and then we'll meet up and work out the details ok?"

She nodded and stood up from the bed. She hadn't expected things to go this smoothly.

"Alright then, I'll leave now. My mother will kill me if I don't meet her soon."

Massie laughed. "Okay. See you then. And hey, Claire?"

Claire's hand stilled on the doorknob and she turned her head."Yeah?"

Massie's face broke into the warmest smile she had given ever since Claire arrived and she walked over to hug her friend tightly.

"Welcome back honey."


End file.
